The Swan
by Laserfire
Summary: After the destruction of 12, the refugees were moved to the Capitol. Leda along with her brother Eros wait eagerly to news of Panem. But the Capitol has a different plan. Twelve children. One arena. One winner.
1. Chapter 1: The Announcement

My new story that will probably take a while to complete! It is another version of Mockingjay but** the start to the end, so effectively I am re-writing but it is completely different. After the destruction of 12, the refugees were taken to the Capitol and a war has not broken out between The rebels and the Capitol yet. It focuses around Leda, a 17 year old who originated from District 12, in a neighbouring town called The Grange. Her family was killed apart from her brother and they were pushed into the Capitol whilst rapid negotiation between the two sides. This begins at the announcement of the proposition made by both sides.**

**The swan, however beautiful, holds with it a deadly bite.**

**The Swan.**

**Chapter 1: The announcement.**

We were pushed, right and left by the surging crowd behind us. My hand never broke from Eros'. I looked over at him, his face pallid and pasty, an unnatural colour for my brother to have. He did not smile or make any attempt to lighten the atmosphere. There would have been no point. The only memories were held were of death and destruction. He, my elder by three years, would've known that not even one of his witty comments could've jerked a smile from my mouth. There were a few moans, a few whimpers from behind us but we did not dare to look. The sight of any more suffering might send either one of us off the edge. Mother always said we both were such hot-heads.

My face flooded with unwanted colour as the thought of my mother poured into my mind. I squeezed Eros' hand tighter and tighter as we approached the enormous square. How similar that moment was to every reaping we had gone through was startling. The mournful faces on mothers and fathers. The terrified expressions on children. Everything. It was like being back in the square.

We stopped walking as everyone around us did. In front of us, the stage loomed with fluorescent lighting, none of which impressed us anymore. But clearly, the Capitol wanted to put on a show. Eros hugged me into him but I did not allow myself to settle on him. Whatever was coming next would be big and I needed to be ready for it. Ready for a fight or ready to start again.

There was a long pause as two huge television screens were placed in front of us on the stage and everywhere around us there was a sound of inhalation. I balled my hands into fists.

The first screen filled with colour and light and the unnatural glow that President Snow's face held was not greeted well. Around us, shouts and roars rose from the crowd and I realised at that moment that all these people in the square were not from District 12 surely. The other Districts...surely not. They couldn't have destroyed all of them or so I thought. A rock was thrown from somewhere in the crowd and a shout of indignation was brought from one of the guards. Several of them raised their guns and barked orders at the nearest civilians. Eros did not say a word.

"Good Evening, Panem. I shall not mince words. We as a people have reached a disagreement. Both sides have agreed that a war cannot be tolerated. We cannot risk the future of our country like this..."

"Future? What future?" An angry cry came from my far right. Another guard shouted and raised his gun. Snow continued.

" It has been decided that instead of a war, we must use fairness and tolerance."

The words sounded like poison from his mouth. The other screen flooded. Plutarch Heavensbee.

"Indeed. A compromise has been reached. My good people, you are here from all over Panem. Every single one of your Districts have been destroyed. You now represent not your District but your country and you must not turn on each other for the sake of war!"

There was silence from the square. Not even a baby stirred as the people stiffened. I felt Eros swallow against my head.

Snow's face became serious again.

" Twelve children shall stand in front of us here to volunteer to save our country. Twelve children will hold the key to our salvation. One of these twelve will decide our future. The Capitol nor the Rebels will have no choice in the matter of choosing, only the instructions of where this final Games shall be held and the control over such a place. No control will be placed over these children. Once the eleven weakest have been slain, the strongest shall rise and lead us to freedom!"

The silence was broken as the crowd dipped into the depths of despair. The cries of pain were torturous and I turned to my brother in horror.

"Another Games! They can't!" My face flooded with sudden relief, "You're safe." I breathed.

"You're not. Get down!" He ordered me and pushed my hood up over my head, tucking my brown hair into the hood.

"Look down. They might not notice you." The worrisome tone he kept made me anxious.

"Do we have any volunteers?" Snow's voice boomed over the square. I looked down and prayed silently as I saw the guards move through the crowd, demanding anyone who looked under eighteen's age.

There was a scream of panic beside us as one boy, not nearly fourteen was snatched from his mother.

"Excellent," Snow mused, "We have our first savior!"

My heart missed a beat as the guard passed by. His pace slowed as he reached Eros.

"Age!"

Eros' grip tightened around me.

"I am twenty years of age. My sister is nineteen."

I looked the guard square in the face as he sneered at me.

"Nineteen?"

"Yes." I managed. I could've passed for nineteen. I wasn't exactly small for my age but then again I wasn't exactly tall. Standing against Eros who was a full head taller than me was probably part of my downfall.

There was a sickening pause as the guard looked around. I inhaled. The guard was barely taking a step away when there came a cry from behind us.

"I know her! I know her! She ain't nineteen!" The woman behind me clutched at a little girl who was clearly eligible for the role. The guard turned back.

"She's nineteen, I swear!" Eros gripped my shoulder, clearly showing that he wasn't going to let go.

"She ain't! She's from the Grange! I knew 'er mother! She's seventeen!"

All of a sudden, I was pushed forward, dragged by the guard as my brother struggled to keep a hold of me.

"She's lying to protect her own scum!" Eros shouted, pulling me back.

" But, my dear boy, this is about protection! This is about the protection of our country!" Snow glared down at us as the crowd around us pushed out, making us clearly visible.

"Not my sister! Let me!"

Snow narrowed his eyes.

"I'm afraid we cannot afford another martyr. Not after the trouble the last one caused."

Eros was dragged away from me and I kicked at the guard to let me free. He put his arms around my waist and dragged me kicking and screaming to the podium.

"Eros!" I screamed again and again.

"Leda!" he cried back and I heard him scream in pain.

"Snow! Stop them!" A female voice filled the air, one the people had heard on many an occasion. Katniss Everdeen filled Plutarch Heavensbee's recently vacant screen as she glared at Snow I saw nothing but hatred.

"Stop the guards! We ordered that no civilian be hurt in this ordeal!"

The guard released my brother at her command but I was shoved onto the stage. Everdeen glanced at me for a second.

"Introductions." Snow spoke almost amiably, but everyone in the square knew that there was nothing amiable about that man.

"Speak, girl." He pressed.

I pulled my hood down, revealing a mop of brown hair.

" Leda, District 12."

The already chosen boy stood beside me. We stood in silence as the next people were chosen. Five more girls, two older than me and stronger, a lot stronger. Five boy took to the stage and one stared at me through the entire introduction until, it came to his turn.

"Zeus, District One."

**Okay, first chapter, kind of weird but I'm developing it. Please review. Rated M for later scenes.**

**LF xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2: The Visitor

We were shoved forward in pairs towards a magnificent building as tall as the sky. A small boy walked beside me, sniffling. I did not offer him any comfort. How could I? And anyway, I'm hardly a good comforter. We were led from the front, back and from the sides by armed guards. Clearly, The Capitol was taking no chances. To soothe my nerves, I tried to go back mentally. I tried to remind myself that Eros would be safe, that perhaps after this Games, Panem would be ruled by a fairer leader, and that I was doomed to die in a hole.

I breathed again and pulled my sleeves down my arms, It couldn't be much worse than the Panem we all knew, the Panem that killed twenty-three children every year intentionally and thousands more due to lack of food.

"In there" said a gruff voice beside me as he reached down to grab the little boy. I brushed my shoulder against the guard and put my hand on the little boy's shoulder. The guard snorted but backed off. The little one was about to go through enough without being shouted out for crying.

We piled in to the building and we all felt the relief of warmth in the air. A girl, older than me, made a big show of shaking herself to get rid of the snow that had fallen on her.

"It's absolutely freezing!" She cried, stamping her feet and down. She flung her blonde hair to and fro to rid her curls of any trace elements of snow and sighed in relief once she was finished.

"Tributes, this way." We were pushed from behind into the main room of the building as the secretary got in a fluster and ran after us.

In the room, everything was laid out in order, perfectly neat. The secretary bustled her way through us and pointed to the centre of the room, where twenty-four chairs were laid out, twelve opposite twelve.

"Now, now," She said clearly annoyed, "I seem to have misplaced...no, okay...they want you in a particular order...perhaps..."

"Give it here!" The guard behind me stepped forward and snatched it from her grasp. He pointed to the first chair.

"District 1!"

The boy named Zeus took his seat.

"12!" He pointed to the seat beside him. I stood forward and sat down beside him.

He continued naming the Districts from the highest to the lowest. I was put sitting in between District 1 and 2 and I noticed for the first time that everyone was from a different District. How strange I thought because they couldn't have known by our ages.

"Hi," said the blonde girl beside me who had made a fuss about the snow. She leaned over me and spoke directly to Zeus, "My name's Amarine."

He regarded her coolly.

"Zeus." He spoke quietly. I contented myself with looking at the floor and tried to detect a pattern in the carpet. To me, it just looked as if someone had grabbed a whole load of paint of different paints and had sloshed them everywhere.

"I'm from District 2." She smiled at him again. I decided that I didn't like her.

He cleared his throat.

"District 1."

She nodded and made a show of pushing her hair back with her fingers. I sighed.

"What about you?" She asked. It took me a minute to realise that she was talking to me. I stared back.

"Leda."

"That's kind of pretty. District 12 I presume?"

"Yes."I spoke, trying to point across to her that I did not want to make any new friends. She did not seem to notice.

"Well, I wonder what this is all about?" She spoke sweetly.

"They already explained," Zeus cut in, "It's another Games."

"I know, but they will be changing it around, surely. They cannot use the same tactics. The rebels would not have agreed to a normal Games."

He shrugged.

"Who the hell knows what they would've agreed to. They've practically abandoned us anyway."

She nodded. Then the conversation stopped there for. Clearly they both had views on the current crisis but I wasn't going to go in for it. They probably already assumed that I would be backing the rebels. At the start I definitely was. What had the Capitol ever done for District 12? They'd taken our children and watched them die for entertainment purposes. They'd let us starve. They'd made a mockery of our terror.

At the start of this war, the Rebels seemed to be the way forward for us. The way to freedom. Katniss Everdeen, a fellow District 12 occupant would lead us forward. But it was not to be. The second she'd released that arrow, the Capitol were prepared. The bombers were sent to every District. It took no more than half an hour for them to reach Twelve. For that brief time, we felt freedom. We had fantasies of living under fairer rule, under a ruler who would sympathise with our problems. But clearly, sympathetic rulers died along with our ancestors in the Great Disaster.

We were rounded up like pigs as we sprinted for a spot of land where we would be safe from fire. The only reason I escaped was because of Eros but I was starting to think that escaping from District 12 was no escape at all. It had landed me right back within the Capitol's grasp.

We were shoved into strict surveillance camps, under lock and key every night for at least a week. We had not heard from the Rebels until the announcement. Of course, it had not been said but everyone knew Katniss had been saved. Peeta Mellark, her lover, hadn't. He was still within the grasp of the Capitol. I sighed. That was probably the reason that Katniss had agreed to this, for Peeta's salvation.

To me, Peeta Mellark was just a boy. An insignificant boy. But to her, that boy might've been her life. Her one reason to continue with this fight. Were it me, I'm not sure what I'd have done. I'd never been in love and I'd never had had to chose between my lover and something else.

A guard stepped forward.

"One visitor!" He shouted and I breathed a sigh of relief. I would only have one visitor coming, The others, might've had to chose between parents. But only Eros would be coming for me.

Amarine beside me frowned.

"What if more come?" She asked.

The guard replied swiftly.

"You may chose only one visitor."

She nodded and gave a slight pout.

"District 1 first." He motioned for Zeus to go through the door and he did and returned after a minute with a small woman, skinny and who had a moan plastered on her face. She sat on the chair opposite him and took his hand in hers and they begin whispering.

Everyone went before me, returning with different people. Only one girl from District 5 had no one. She crossed her arms but anyone could see the hurt in her face.

"District 12."

I stood up and walked through the door.

I could not see Eros, Instead, I saw a girl, my height, hair darker than mine but with clear similarities. Her grey eyes like storms. I knew her at once. A boy, with most of her characteristics stood beside her protectively.

"Katniss..."

"Leda." She nodded curtly.

"Where's my brother? Where's Eros?"

For a second, a millisecond I saw remorse in her eyes before her rough exterior took over.

"They've hurt him, haven't they?"

I balled my fists and ran at the guard behind them but in unison, Katniss and the boy grabbed each of my arms and pulled me back as I screamed and shouted names at the guards, without them taking notice.

"Calm down or they'll make us leave." He whispered in my ear.

"Who are you?" I demanded of him.

"My name's Gale."

Neither of them loosened their grip on me until I calmed down.

"What happened to him?" I spoke slowly.

Katniss looked at Gale before answering.

"He was shot. During the commotion of the reaping. I am sorry."

The news did not suit well. Against my will, a tear ran down my cheek.

"No, they can't!" I screamed again. Katniss squeezed my hand.

"I realise that this is a hard time for you, but we need to talk urgently." I stopped due to the fact that I thought she might have some information for me. Gale stepped back and Katniss followed me into the Tribute room.

Of course the face of the rebellion did make people do double takes but it was clear from her expression that she had more important things on her mind. Advice for the arena?

She sat opposite me. Even Amarine broke away from her boyfriend to stare at her.

"In the arena, speed is everything. You're our best hope. Make an alliance if needs be but play for yourself always. Don't be influenced."

I blinked.

"That it?"

She shook her head.

"Everyone's betting on the high Districts as usual but it's more important this year. If the high Districts win, the Capitol wins. You can't let that happen. Try."

I swallowed.

"What is going on?" I asked. She fixed me with a cold stare.

"I don't know. Find out."


	3. Chapter 3: The Stylist

Katniss didn't stay for the allotted time, which to be perfectly honest I did not find too bad. I doubted that I would receive any further time to myself, just to think about home. I thought I'd been over the worst of the home-sickness but the sight of someone who had come from the exact same, or worse background brought it all home again. Mother was dead, father was dead, my little sister Cleo was dead and now Eros. The only person I had left.

I looked around, the sight of everyone surrounded by their loved-ones brought a sting in my eyes. Zeus confiding in his mother that he would try to come home, Amarine giving her boyfriend goodbye kisses as he told her that he loved her, everything. It made me feel all the worse about being alone. The only up side would be that I'd never dread death after losing everyone, I couldn't, when held so much; less pain, less torture, my family.

I gripped the sides of my chairs to try to ease the suffering that over-whelmed me. Eros, my brother, Eros my life after District 12, Eros gone.

The stings I felt brought tears. Warm tears that fell slowly and elegantly from my face. I did not try to wipe them or to cover them up. I let them fall. Something as fragile as a tear-drop should not be destroyed by brute force.

"Bathroom's that way." A guard spoke plainly from behind me, no emotion in his voice, a mere robot of the Capitol. I turned to face him and saw to my horror and gun by his side.

_"He was shot. During the commotion of the reaping"_

That was it. I saw red. My vision blurred. I rose up from my seat and smacked straight into him. I heard the secretary cry in shock but took no notice at the time. I clawed at him, a blood-thirst I had never felt before reaching my brain. I wanted revenge for Eros. I screamed and kicked out at him, every ounce of my strength going into this revenge.

"Get the bitch off me!" He shouted but I had no intention of being moved. I swiped at any hand that came near my face, any I could see. I heard a snap and felt myself being lifted up by the waist. I struggled at the grasp but I knew the fact that I hadn't been hit yet meant that I was not in the hands of a Capitol officer.

"Stop!" The carrier ordered me. Zeus. Great.

"Put me down!" I shouted and immediately I fell to the ground.

The guard I had attacked towered over me, holding his right head against his face. His nose. Good. At least I had done some damage but I wasn't finished yet. I tried to stand quickly but an arm grabbed me again.

"Stop!" He ordered and Zeus let my arm fall. The guard raised a club, his eyes showing furiosity.

"No Tribute is to be harmed before they enter the official arena. It's the rules." The secretary squeeked from behind me. I glared at her. I did not need protection from a Capitol worker.

The guard snarled.

"Little brat broke my nose! I expect to see some punishment!"

The room was silent. Looking around, everyone had stood up. Amarine was hugging her beau, District 5 was staring at me intently and Zeus looked as if I'd just attacked a Capitol officer. Oh wait, I had. My breaths grew more and more furious.

"Tell the President to get himself another Tribute. This one is deranged. It'd be nicer to have her killed..."

He raised his gun and the secretary squeeked again.

"Very brave. You set a gun against an unarmed girl, who's half your age. I can see why they pick guards like you." I spat. His elbow collided with my face and I was sent sprawling across the floor.

"Stop it!" The secretary screamed as I felt my hair being pulled. "No harm is to come to the Tributes!" I could swear she was nearly bawling.

"See girlie, brat's like you need to be exterminated. Just like your brother."

I swung my leg around to catch him but he was prepared. He punched me straight in the stomach and I fell back, winded.

"That's enough!"

The secretary pulled me back from him. She gripped my arm and led me firmly towards the door that the guard had pointed at. I sat on the sink as she desperately tried to rid my face of the blood that had spurted from my mouth as he elbowed me. I received a half an hour long lecture on the importance of keeping to myself. The Capitol could not tolerate rogue behavior.

"Then maybe they ought to give their dogs a few more treats before bed and they might not shoot every second person they see!"

She told me that my cheek would be my down-fall. I told her that one of the people in the next room would be my down-fall and none of them would give a damn if I said anything but she hushed me quite feverently for fear that someone might overhear. I kept quiet after that for her sake, not mine.

Once she finished, she led me quickly back into the room where the other Tributes were finishing. Only three were not in tears. Every single one of them stared at me as I made my way back to my seat, noticing that the guard had been replaced. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least I could calm myself down. Mourn my brother in the last remaining moments of peace I had left.

I watched as Zeus hugged his mother. I watched as Amarine pushed herself against her boyfriend to kiss him again. I watched the small boy whimper as his mother left the room. In unison, I watched everyone in that room as their hearts broke apart from District 5 as she stared at the floor, unaware that anything was happening around her.

Five seconds after the last person had left, a woman with insane hair clacked in with ridiculous looking shoes and gave us all a brilliant smile.

"Hello, Everyone. My name is Favaria and I am your organiser this year. Yes, usually every District has an individual organiser but, as I'm sure you already know, this year is different. You twelve are extra special!"

I felt a little sick in my mouth by listening to her chirpy voice.

She continued.

"This year, we are encouraging Tribute interaction. In the following week leading up to the Games, there will be quite a few activities for all of you to grow to know one another. This year is quite different, as I have mentioned before. Only the swiftest, the strongest, the most skilled and the most intelligent will take the crown! Tonight, you will all be assigned your rooms and you will all be dining together. You'll be assigned your stylists also and you'll be wearing all of their designs throughout the week!"

I'm quite sure only Amarine was smiling.

Favaria began listing off our names and our room numbers. She made sure to tell each person as they were passing with their escort that no interaction was to be between Tributes unless they were under strict supervision. I could've sworn as Zeus was called to room 101, that he caught my eye for a second and a flicker of something ran between us. Not friendship, not attraction, not hate.

They all left and I was the only one left standing.

"Ah, Leda. Room 112. Your escort is Lydia. Dinner shall be in the Great hall at seven o'clock. Your stylist is waiting upstairs. I expect they have something fitting for you to wear for such an occasion."

She nodded frankly and Lydia led me to the escalator, without saying a word, an action that was fine by me.

She led me to room 112 and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" A female voice answered from inside.

"Go on in." Lydia said and I turned the knob and entered. Standing by the window, with her back to us was a woman in a simple white gown, with shoulder-length hair the colour of the purest flame. The door shut behind me and I heard a key turn and be pulled out. The woman turned.

"Hi." She smiled at me as I stood awkwardly beside the door.

"I'm going to go ahead and presume that you're my muse this year." She walked over to me and I noticed her lack of shoes. She strode over to me, barefooted with a smile that showed her perfectly whitened teeth.

"Come on, then. We mustn't wait in corners."

She motioned for me to follow her and I walked towards the wardrobe she stood beside.

"Go on, take a peak," She moved her head to the side, "I'm Kale."

"I'm...Leda." I said as I opened the cupboard. She smiled.

"I've changed my mind, Leda. Why don't you go have a long shower and I'll have your outfit ready for you. I've been very excited about this!"

I nodded, not willing to get into a conversation about the slaughter of innocent children and I followed her finger to the bathroom and grabbed a towel.

"Take your time!" She said and I locked the door.

Of all the things in the Capitol that could mesmerise me, it was the shower. At least one hundred different buttons were available, each of them serving a different purpose. I took a deep breath before pressing the button that said medium. The water gushed down with a soft touch and after a while of soaking myself in water, I pressed another button and a substance with a full smell of vanilla fell onto my hair and I let the water wash it out again, covering my eyes for fear that the stuff would get in my eyes. This also filled as a tear-stopper. I was alone. Eros was gone.

After a while, I stepped out and covered myself in a towel. I found a bathrobe and wrapped myself up and I let my hair fall down my back.

I unlocked the door and stepped out. Kale was fussing in her handbag but she stopped immediately and smiled again as she saw me. I stood forward.

"Well, we have an hour before dinner so we have time. I've picked out your dress and if you'll just stand over this, your hair will be dry in a minute."

She plugged a metal device into the wall and motioned for me to come over. I stood under it and she pressed a button. A blast of heat erupted around my shoulders and I sprinted to the other side of the room, my heart beating at nearly a thousand times a minute.

"What are you..." She chuckled.

"This won't hurt. It's just a hair-dryer!" She giggled and motioned for me to step forward again. I did so, attentively. She did the same again and I fought every urge to run again. This feeling was un-natural. Wind was never this warm.

"Goodness, your hair is very thick! This is good! Thick hair can hold a lot of styles!"

I nodded with her and pretended to be paying attention when really I was trying not to burst into another set of tears like I had in the shower. At least, in there no one was there to see me looking weak and there water was there to wash my tears away.

"Leda, have you been crying?" I looked up. Kale was looking down at me with inquisitive emerald eyes.

Then the tears came.

Slowly, each one made its mark on my face, streaking it. She turned off the hairdryer and she knelt before me.

"What's wrong?"

It felt wrong, telling a woman I had met not two hours ago about my brother, my life. Confiding in her about my every little fear but my heart could no longer hold it in. I erupted with soft tears and blurted everything ; Eros, my family, the reaping.

She listened and nodded if I made a point. When I took a deep breath and finished, she wrapped me in a hug.

"Tell you what, at twelve o'clock tonight, I'm going to knock on your door and I want you to meet someone. They'll be able to help with these feelings. Okay?"

I nodded and she finished with my hair and applied a small bit of make-up to my face.

"There, now go put that dress on."

I walked to the bed and found it lain across the pillows in a plastic case. It wasn't a coal-miners outfit, or a tracksuit awaiting a match. It was plain and simple black, charcoal black. It had thin sleeves at the top and fell to just below my knees. I really liked it and smiled at the sight of it.

"It'll suit your face. I found these pictures, Very, very old pictures. One of a very beautiful woman called Marilyn and she was wearing a dress just like that, billowing everywhere, except in white. I kind of guessed that you might be a more reserved girl so I pulled the end down and I went for black. You'd look lovely in black."

"...Thank you."

She grinned and unzipped the dress from its package and handed it to me.

I dropped my bathrobe and slipped into the dress, feeling queasy about getting dressed in front of someone. I pulled it down and attempted to look at myself in the long mirror but she blocked me.

"Not until you're finished!" She said and sat me down.

She did a small plait in the front of my face and tied the rest of my hair in a loose bun.

"There."

I walked slowly over to the mirror and I did get a bit of a shock. I mean, I had worn dresses before and I have always dressed up for the reaping but this was different.

**LF xox**


	4. Chapter 4: The Meeting

I walked up with Kale again after the dinner. She kept praising me at how brilliantly I'd done with the cutlery. I decided not to tell her that I had used a knife and fork before and tried to concentrate on not killing myself with my shoes that closely resembled what would be categorised as torture instruments. My hair was stuck in place and I tried to budge it with my hand but each time I did, Kale would scold me and tell me not to touch such a delicate design.

She walked me to my door.

"I won't lock it. I'll be back later. Wear your bathrobe and wash the makeup off your face. And when I come back, don't say a word." She left quickly, galloping up the corridor, her red hair swaying to and fro.

I shut the door behind me and pulled out the bobbin that held my hair together and shook it out, relieved that my head no longer felt like it was holding up a building. I breathed a deep sigh of relief and un-crumpled the piece of paper I had received. My schedule. Kale told me to keep it safe because she didn't want to be asking people for other ones.

"Thursday: Meeting with this year's Gamemaker. The rules of this year's Games will be explained. Thursday afternoon: Meeting with individual mentors. Partnered Training."

Friday: Partnered Training," I grimaced. This year they were going out of their way to make Tributes "closer" which was all the more cruel. Why bother, you might ask? Well, I can tell you first hand that during my experience, the Capitol's cruelty is unwavering. They went out of their way to make us closer. Our stylists engaged us all in little conversations with another Tribute. I had been lucky to be sitting beside the small boy, whose name was Henry. He didn't speak very much. But, we wouldn't get to choose our partners. As everything else, that would be in the hands of the Capitol.

"and Interviews."

"Saturday: Partnered Training and Score-Day." Scores would be something I would definitely be dreading, after the Interviews.

"Sunday: Private day with mentors or by yourself if a Tribute so wishes."

I finished reading and placed my schedule on a small desk and stripped out of my dress. I plunged my face into a sink of cold water and held it there, just in case I'd ever have to repeat this action in the Games. I wiped my face with a towel and placed a bathrobe over my underwear as instructed. Instead of getting into bed as I was sure all of the other Tributes were, I pulled a chair over to the locked window and stared out, wondering how such a place, full of advanced technology could escape from punishment as hundreds of refugees were locked in surveillance camps, locked away from day, locked away from life.

I looked down at my hands. I had my mother's hands. I, unlike my brother, had equal shares of my parents. Eros was my father, completely. I had my father's eyes, my mother's hair, my father's personality and my mother's body. Not that such things mattered anymore. Soon, there would be nothing left of my family, as soon as I was dead. Katniss had told me to try and I would, of course I would try to survive but deeply I knew that death in that arena was inevitable. I could not survive an alliance, I would have to be alone. And I would die alone, too. No family, no friends there to comfort, no boy to tell me that they loved me. Perhaps there was a time when I cared about such a thing like love. After the 74th Hunger Games perhaps, once the star-crossed lovers of District 12 emerged, perhaps I wished for a boy to look at me with eyes that Peeta had, such attentive eyes as if he were analysing everything, to make sure she was safe. The truth in his voice as he admitted his love to her on live television. The pain in her eyes that not even someone as strong as the Mockingjay could mask once she began screaming his name before she sealed our fate.

But as I sat in that chair, looking out at the streets of the Capitol, I realised that true love, unselfish love must not exist anymore. The Capitol only held one love; power. Perhaps that was another reason they resented Katniss and Peeta; the fact that they were so in love that only the other one mattered. Perhaps they thought that this might show the people to keep hope, that someone as loving as that would come to rescue us. Such thoughts were not something the Capitol could tolerate. They needed power. To be in control.

My parents loved each other dearly. I loved my entire family dearly. But there was no one left for me to love. That simple fact could either make me stronger or weaker. I supposed I would find out in the arena.

There came a knock at the door. I rushed out of the seat and answered it.

Kale stood, changed into a silk pink nightdress with an odd looking drink in her hand.

"Drink this." She commanded.

"What is..."

"Drink it or I won't bring you." She said and I didn't doubt her. My curiosity got the better of me. I took the drink from her hand and drained every last drop into my mouth and swallowed. It tasted of exotic berries, extremely sweet but with a bite. It went down easily and I gave Kale an odd look as she stepped back, giving me a wide berth.

"What's wr..."

And then I felt it. The feeling in my stomach, as if had someone had sucked the feeling out of it. The feeling led up to my throat. A pile of vomit erupted from my mouth as I faced the ground.

"What..." I tried again, but another load came and Kale grabbed the glass from me and placed it in the bathroom.

"Come on." She commanded and grabbed my hand, pulling me out the door.

There was a guard on the other side of the corridor and he stood up firmly.

"No one is authorised to be out..."

"The little one's after being sick. Get someone to clean it!" She ordered and pushed past him and took me to the elevator before he could object again. I had to admit, even if I did not like it, Kale could be quite commanding.

Instead of pressing the normal button to lead us to the ground floor, she pressed basement and the elevator plunged down. I stumbled but Kale made no attempt to help me up. She had a look in her eyes, a certain determination that made me think that we were doing something extremely serious.

We landed and she ushered me out, pushing me into a small room on the direct right of the elevator door. On a small keypad, she typed in the combination 657890324 and pushed the other door, leading to a small corridor. There was a stale smell and it was the first place I saw in the Capitol that had dust in it. I followed Kale cautiously through the corridor, nerves taking their toll and as she reached the small door at the end, she exhaled.

"Listen very carefully," She spoke clearly and her voice echoed," This person is the one person here who can empathise with you. Do nothing to upset him, listen and ask him the occasional question. And ..." She shook her head awkwardly, "If he should get the wrong idea, humour him. At the end, tell him that Haymitch wants a word and that you'll be back to him soon. Understand?"

I nodded carefully and moved forward as she stepped to the side to enter the code again. She opened the door and prodded me inside. On the stairs, I tripped and fell, landing on my face, facing some kind of cage.

"I'll be back soon." Kale said as she shut the door.

I looked up and came face to face, the only thing separating us being the bars with a boy I had seen many a time on television, a boy I had been thinking about earlier that evening.

"Peeta..."

He broke me off as he shoved his hands through the bars, desperate to be close to me.

"Katniss." He said, in the voice of a broken man.

...

"Katniss." He said again and a small light lit in his dark blue eyes. I could see now why he sounded so broken. Around his face, there were bruises, deep bruises and around his body there were visible scars. There was something not right about this.

"P..Peeta." I managed, trying to gather everything together. He smiled at the sound of his name.

"Katniss, I knew you'd come! I knew...you'd never break your promise!" He stared at me with eyes so expectant.

"_If he should get the wrong idea_, _humour him."_

I took a deep breath and took the hand he was offering through the bars.

"Yes...yes Peeta, I have come back."

Holding my hand, he took it in both of his and rested it on his lap, as if inspecting it. He caressed it, stroked it lovingly but did not meet my eyes.

"Kale told me what happened to your family. I am so sorry." He was the first person to sound genuinely sorry for me and this fact touched me in way I could not understand. The way this boy held my hand, such an insignificant part of me, and held it as if his life were dependant on it. Poor Katniss.

"Thank you, It...it means..."

I was stopped at the sudden rush of adrenaline he showed as he pulled my arm forward and smashed his lips against my own through the gap. I was too startled by his strength to pull away and by the time I had gained my strength t pull back, he had already done so, looking at me adoringly.

"I love you," He whispered, "I love you, Katniss Everdeen."

I swallowed.

"I love you too."

Four words, four insignificant words looked like it meant the world to him. This boy, so broken looked as if I had healed him with four words, almost as if he'd never heard them before, almost as if he'd spent his life waiting to hear them.

"I know it's hard. But I will always be here for you. All we have left is each other."

Kale was wrong. This did not make me feel better. This made me feel worse for myself, thinking that this boy was not talking to me. He was talking to 'Katniss' who sat before him. Then I felt worse as the feeling of feeling sorry for myself went in contrast with the fact that he was in chains, locked up with no means of escape.

"We'll get you out of here," I said suddenly, "You'll come back with m..."

"No!" He shouted, "No! You...have Gale. Gale Hawthorne. He loves you Katniss. He needs you too. It'd be selfish..."

"Don't speak like that Peeta!" I snapped and it caught him off guard. His sentence made me insane with anger. Katniss, who had this boy ready to take a thousand bullets for her, had another. The strong boy I had seen her with. That couldn't be right. She was in love with Peeta.

I heard a knock on the door.

"Leda!" Kale hissed. Peeta looked confused.

"Who's Leda, Katniss?"

I closed my eyes.

"She's a friend. A friend who is going to help you no matter what. That's a promise. I have to go...er Haymitch wants to speak with me."

He gripped my hand tighter, and I pulled back slightly for fear that he would kiss me again.

"Promise me you'll come back. Come back to see me?"

I nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I promise Peeta."

I tore my hand away, though it hurt me to leave him and I dashed to the door. Kale grabbed my hand and did not say a word.

**No, he has not been hijacked...yet or he may never be. Who knows? **

**Please R&R, I'd love to hear what you'd think. And thank you to MountainAir who has reviewed my every single chapter so far. You rock.**

**LF xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5: The Partner

The sound of my heart beating as fast as a motor woke me, pounding in my ears as I clutched to the sheets. I looked over at my bedside clock and it read half nine. The meeting with this year's Gamemaker was at ten o'clock and we were expected to have eaten beforehand. I half expected Kale to be there when I woke but I was alone, feeling the sweat my palms had conjured up during the night. Dreams of being locked away in a cell, no food, people I love surrounding me, telling me that they are dead.

The confusion in my brain filled me. How could they lock Peeta Mellark up? He had done nothing, it was Katniss who had blown the arena, everybody saw it. I felt the conflicting emotions in my heart, some of them telling me that Katniss was good, she was going to fight, and others telling me that she had left Peeta to die.

The way he looked at, well who he thought was her, was so loving. So passionate with just one flick of his eyes. How could she abandon someone who loved her that much? I dug my nails into my palms and swung my legs out of the bed, landing with a thud beside it.

I grabbed a warm looking pair of trousers and threw them on, along with a t-shirt and a warm looking jumper with a hood at the back. I tied my hair away in a pony-tail and was confident that I was ready to face the day, despite my muddled brain. Besides, my own Games were just around the corner and if we were to be partnered, I might've as well tried to get on with whoever it was. Preferably not a Career.

"Leda?" The door opened and it was Kale as I expected. She held a tray of food.

"I came in about half an hour ago but you were completely out of it."

"Out of what?"

She giggled and placed the tray on the small table and pulled out the chair. She motioned for me to sit down. I did.

The food on offer was delicious. There was a stack of pancakes, two scones with a small bowl of jam, a small bowl of butter and a large glass of orange juice.

"You'd better eat it all, and quickly. First you'll attend the meeting with your Gamemaker, I've heard he's very nice! Then you'll meet with your mentor and you'll be given an hour today to discuss tactics. And later you'll be given your partner and you'll be given a while to speak to them too."

"No training?" I asked, reaching for the schedule. She shook her head.

"No, the training hall simply is not equipped due to the bad weather but it'll be ready by tomorrow and you'll have plenty of time to practice then. Nearly all day in fact, eight o'clock until five in the evening! You'll be given breaks, I suppose. Then you'll report back here and my little helpers will be here to make you gorgeous! I shall have your costume ready for you for your interviews. You'll be fabulous, let me assure you! No fire but you'll still be absolutely dazzling!" She smiled again and handed me a fork and I wolfed down the food, getting full value of what the Capitol had to offer where they had been lacking in certain years.

She pulled me away from the tray and told me to go wash up in the bathroom. It took me two seconds and she did not look too pleased but as we were nearing ten o'clock, she led me to the elevator again. Once we were safely inside, I pounced her with questions.

"What have they done to him?"

Her face paled and she looked to the ground.

"Leda, you got to speak to someone who..."

"Someone who was out of his mind! Have you tried..."

She grabbed my arm sharply and spoke as clearly as ever.

"Nothing happened last night. Hear me? Nothing. Forget it ever happened. I can see it was a mistake."

"Take me back to see him again." I said abruptly. She ignored me.

"Kale..."

"No, Leda, forget it ever..."

The doors of the elevator swung open. We were greeted by the other twelve and their stylists who had all clearly become surrogate parents. Kale immediately plastered a big smile on her face and I tried to follow suit but as none of the Tributes were trying, I didn't bother after. In front of them, with shoes as high as the building, was Favaria. As soon as she that the last Tribute had arrived she called for our attention. Everyone stared as she spoke with clear words.

"Welcome Tributes, inside this door, your new Gamemaker is waiting. His name is Dalium Fowler and I'm sure you're all excited to hear about your Games this year!"

She opened the door and we filled in, sitting in our designated seats. A small, stumpy man with a cigar stood in the centre of the room, looking slightly amused. We were sitting for about a minute until he finally spoke.

"My name," he drawled, "is Dalium Fowler and this year I am Head Gamemaker and might I add that this year is going to be the most eventful Hunger Games that we have ever had!"

None of us cheered or made any attempt to help this guy. If anything, he disgusted me.

He began explain the usual rules, no cannibalism, no interaction during training except with your designated partner and then he began explaining about our partners.

"This new rule," he drawled, "was signed by both sides. We believe that this is a way of practising your interaction techniques. You may not agree with your partner but, this new rule comes with a catch. We believe that alliances will be essential here so we have decided that in the arena, you and your partner must form an alliance until the sixth tribute is eliminated. Only then can you fend for yourself. You may chose to stay with your partner but not until the sixth tribute has died. Another thing, during training sessions, you may speak to any other tribute other than your partner. You are only to practise with your partner, any injuries inflicted will lead to grave punishments."

Amarine raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"I didn't think tributes were allowed to be issued punishments?"

He was silent. That was an answer in its self. We all knew they couldn't punish us here, but in the arena they could do anything. He took a deep breath and continued, pacing in front of us.

"As I was saying, no injuries. Only training techniques. Each of you will be provided with the Capitol made armour to insure that no 'accidents' occur, understood?"

We all nodded and stood as he left, Why we should be doing this, I don't know but the tributes followed suit as Favaria did so I joined for fear that it might be some Capitol custom. Favaria smiled and read out a list of room numbers where our mentors were apparently stationed to meet us. I hadn't a clue who mine might be. Most likely to be one of the Capitol people who haven't the first clue about winning the Games. Knowing my luck it would've.

"12!" She called. I stepped forward, giving a cautious glance to Kale who nodded eagerly. Favaria regarded me coolly, stared back at the number on her list, coughed slightly and spoke.

"Room 145." She clicked her fingers and pointed in the direction of the elevator. A tall man stood beside me and led me up. He did not speak or regard me whatsoever which was fine by me. They must've been given strict orders not to interact with tributes in any way. Hopefully anyway.

The elevator door swung open and I followed him past an entire row of rooms. Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, he stopped abruptly there and pointed to the room opposite us. He stood like a statue and I opened the door.

This room, like my own, was bigger than any other I'd seen in District 12. I had luscious carpet under my feet that almost made me want to take my shoes off to feel its texture. There was a wide window open opposite me and I could see the square from there. I turned my eyes to the ground quickly, smothering every thought of the square I had.

She stood in the doorframe connecting with the neighbouring room and did not speak at first. I hadn't noticed her for she'd been so quiet. But there was no doubt in my mind. Hadn't I seen her not two days ago? Her hair strung, elegant as a bow string into a twisting plait, her eyes searching for answers, always suspicious of fowl-play. That's one of the reasons I held respect for her. She never let her guard down.

"Katniss." I said in greeting. She merely nodded and walked forward to a chair in front of the window. Suddenly my head was full of ideas. I needed to tell her about Peeta. She could help him, or at least go down to visit him like I had promised. Somehow, even if his head was messed with, I doubted he would forget a promise like that. You don't forget the ones you love that easily.

I moved forward and sat beside her on the chair opposite, looking around. There were bound to be cameras or something. I mean, they didn't just let the poster-child of the rebellion in a room without supervision. Clearly, she knew this too because every once in a while I would see her eyes flicker to and fro and any sound or movement.

She spoke first, probably noting my surprised look.

"It's one of our conditions. We say that the winner will decide how Panem is ruled and that their decision will be entirely their own. Of course, the Capitol is guessing that they have the first six Districts guaranteed. That any winners from the first six Districts will place the Capitol in charge. They are going to make sure of it, and they'll most likely try to win Seven and Eight and possibly Nine as well but they won't try Twelve or Eleven which why I'm here. They want me to convince you to vote us if you win. The Careers are guaranteed to the Capitol, clearly but Eleven and Twelve are ours and we have to work with what we have. Now, can you fight?"

I blinked.

"Can I...can..."

"Can you fight? What weapons can you use?"

I coughed.

"My dad was a butcher. I can use a knife. Never tried throwing one though." She nodded.

"Good. Okay, try tomorrow in training. Partner wise I'd say you'll get the small boy from Eleven. The Capitol don't want to take any chances."

"Or let another girl from District 12 win."

"Exactly."

We continued speaking about knives. She went through a few techniques with me in theory and I nodded. We spent the next half an hour discussing tactics. She couldn't really tell me whether or not to go for the Cornucopia seeing as I didn't have a partner so she told me to wait until tomorrow to discuss it. I wasn't really listening. I wanted to tell her, I should've right then but I kept quiet, trying to decide as to whether I would find a better time. I would, I hoped I would.

Soon after she led me back to my room. It felt odd being escorted everywhere and sure enough, I wasn't given time to myself. Kale was waiting for me. Her face went temporarily shocked at the sight of her so I supposed that she hadn't been told. I didn't care. Kale resumed her calm look and nodded to Katniss as she turned to leave. Kale only spoke as soon as Katniss was gone and even then it was only brief sentences.

"Go..um...shower. You have a while before you're introduced to your partners. I'll go find out where you're meeting with them." I nodded and walked into the bathroom, uncertain about Kale's awkwardness. Surely, she had brought me to Peeta because she wanted to help him, so why not mention it in front of the one person who would go to any length to save him? It didn't make sense. I stripped and hopped into the shower, pondering my thoughts and worrying about what I was to do next.

After a while, I turned the water off and stood in front of the mirror with a towel covering the middle of my body. No desperate changes had been made to me yet. I still looked like me. Most of the tributes who walk in haven't a clue what hit them until they end up barer than a winter tree.

I took a deep breath but I turned sharply at the sound of the bathroom door creaking open.

"Kale, I'll be..." but I broke off as a figure, nearly a head taller than me said "Boo."

I slipped on the mat under me and went flying, crashing into the base of the shower. Luckily, someone was there to break my fall. District 1.

"Em, hello."

I pushed myself off him and stood up, desperately covering myself with my towel.

"What the..."

"I'm your new partner. Thank you for that by the way. Em, much appreciated." He smirked.

"Get out!" I start but he moved forward.

"Your stylist said you were somewhere around here. Doesn't seem all that there if you ask me. Unless she feels like granting a little girl like yourself a few minutes of fun?"

I pushed him away from me.

"Why did you come to my room?" I demanded. He shrugged.

"We were supposed to meet officially earlier but you didn't show. So they sent me up here. Kind of glad they did." He grinned. The bathroom door swung open.

"Why did you tell him to come in here?" I demanded, facing Kale with a hardened look. She looked confused again, as though a word were playing on her lips. Instead of saying anything, she led Zeus out.

**Okay, so I'm really only going to be able to update on weekends but possibly more during Christmas, That's why this chapter took years!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Talk

I shoved a pair of trousers on to me and a shirt and walked out of the bathroom cautiously.

"Is he gone?" I demanded, glaring at Kale with ferocity. She looked up from her chair and nodded.

"I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking.."

"Doesn't matter." I said, with slight bitterness but I pushed the problem aside. I wanted to be taken seriously here, but the way he looked at me, you'd swear it was a game. I sighed. To some people it was a game. She bundled my hair back and tied it in a ponytail and continued muttering to herself that she needed to make a few plans for my hair for the interview. I didn't really mind if they skipped the chariots.

"Why are they skipping the chariots?" I asked quietly.

She clicked her tongue against her soft pallet and drew in a breath.

"They aren't bothering with most of the advertising this year. You won't even be getting sponsors in the arena. This is all down to you twelve."

I narrowed my eyes.

"So, why the interviews? Why not just throw us in now?"

She handed me a pair of running shoes and brushed her flame-coloured hair aside. Confusion swept across her face, a look of anxiety covering it. Deliberating whether to tell me or not, I supposed. In the end, her Capitol corrupted conscience won over and she gave me some excuse about the Capitol wanting the interviews for knowledge purposes. As if anyone told the absolute truth during their interviews anyway.

She hurried me downstairs, clasping my shoulder and led me through a series of doors until we reached an elevator. She did not speak to me again until we reached our destination.

There were two guards at each entrance of the room, there being four entrances. Each tributes stylist was directly behind the tribute who was to be seated in one of the chairs that formed two circles in the centre of the room, six in an inner circle facing six in an outer circle. No one was seated but we received a few distasteful looks from members of staff that surrounded us as we passed through the security.

Darium Fowler took his place in the centre of the room and informed us of the next activity. Every female was to be seated in the inner circle and males on the outer. They called District 1 and he sat in the first available outer chair and they motioned for me to sit opposite him. We were to remain silent until told we could speak. They gave every tribute their designated seats and the shut the doors, the guards sweeping in front of them in unison as if they were being controlled.

"This is an opportunity for you all to learn about your partner which may be vital seeing as you shall be with them, on pain of elimination, until the sixth tribute has gone. You may discuss tactics if you so wish but be weary; we have seated you like this so other tributes may pick up on your conversations. Be careful what you chose to tell your partner. Others may hear." He finished with a smile, like a cat looking pleased and walked artfully over to the large fireplace and watched us all with interested eyes. A girl from District 9 began talking first to her partner, which put us all at ease and we soon began whispering with our own. He began.

"I'm Zeus." He grinned. I did not return it, but whispered in a monotonous voice "I am Leda."

"So, tell me about yourself." He said with a raised eyebrow. I blinked and racked my brains for any piece of information about myself that could be so boring that would make him talk about himself and then I could've nodded and passed a comment here and there.

"I'm from District 12."

He snorted.

"Wow, never would've guessed that! Well, I'm going to tell you what I've noticed about you." He placed his hand on my right thigh and rubbed it playfully.

"Lovely legs." He smirked. Before anyone could notice, I smacked it away. He feigned hurt and put his hands up in a surrendering pose.

"Don't." I spat.

"Don't what?"

"Don't think that you can do anything you bloody want! Don't touch me again."

He rolled his eyes.

"I'm messing with you. Relax, okay? Right, seeing as you're not that much of a talker, I think I'll continue to talk for you. Well, not to dwell on the past but you have nice legs. You like glaring at me for some reason. Smile, would you? There's every chance that a nice boy in the crowd outside this building is waiting for you. I don't think you enjoy being sneaked up on. Or you have quite a funny way of showing it. Unless you attack all of your suitors by landing on top of them naked?"

"You shouldn't have come into my bathroom any way! And I had a towel on..."

"Doesn't mean I didn't see anything. Believe me, I saw quite a lot. Thank you, again. Not everyday a humble fellow like me sees something like that. Plus it was nice to see something pretty before we go in."

"Shut up."

He chuckled and ran a hand through his blonde hair, giving me an amused look.

"If flirting bothers you that much, I'll stop."

"Then do."

"Fine. So tell me about your family? Do you..."

"How about we do something more constructive?"

He grinned.

"Seriously? Here? In front of everyone? I mean, maybe you're comfortable being naked in public but I maintain a certain amount of etiquette! But if you really are _that _into me, maybe we could..."

"Are you going to hit the Cornucopia?" I cut across and his smirk disappeared.

"Were you planning on skipping it?"

"I was planning on discussing it with my partner."

He nodded.

"Fair enough. And yes, I was. So that means you're stuck with me. Get used to it, princess. Now, what skills do you have? Glaring does not count, nor does telling people off. Any weapons? Can you shoot too?"

"No," I glanced around for a millisecond, "I know how to use a knife. Where to severe major arteries, killer blows. But I've never really had to throw them."

He nodded, serious this time.

"Well, I can show you the basics. I mean, I've been reared on this stuff. At least you can kill."

The only problem was, I didn't know if I could.


	7. Chapter 7: The Training Session

We were marched in pairs about an hour after our stimulating chats with our partners, guarded heavily at each side so that most of us we terrified to breathe.

There were too many doors to be led through and I doubt, were I to lead myself there, that I would be able to find it again. I was mainly staring at the floor anyway.

No one spoke. The journey was more comfortable with the absence of noise to me and I spent most of it fidgeting with my hands. At one point I caught my partner staring at my hands and raised an eyebrow.

" Do you have a nervous disposition or something?" He asked. I decided not to answer. Anyone who is stupid enough to ask a question like that when someone is most likely about to meet their death is not worth the oxygen.

We continued walking until we reached a large building shaped almost like the small sports hall we had beside our school. This one was miles bigger with fancy architecture around the structures. The Capitol didn't go cheap, even when it came to disposables.

We were met by Favaria at the door and her hair remained unchanged.

He nudged me with his elbow, noticing the exact same fact.

"Budget cuts." He mouthed followed by a smirk.

I turned away. God forbid anyone should think I was enjoying this. I mean, judging from it, I doubted he had any worries about the Games, and if he did, he must've hidden them with humour. 'What does it matter?' I thought, 'at the end of the day, he's competition. Forget team-work.' I knew that if I made it as far as number six, I'd be at least a mile away from him by the time the gong sounded.

"Now, as there have been a few changes this year, there will be changes in the training situation. Firstly, one must train with one's designated partner and there are no exceptions to this rule. Secondly, you may practice on the dummies given or with the handlers. You may not harm your partner in any way. You will practice together, not practice on each other. And thirdly, no tribute may leave the training grounds until instructed under firm security, by me or one of the guards beside you. Now, follow me in."

We did follow and she led us through large double doors and swung both doors open with a firm push of her hands. She turned back and smiled.

"You will have exactly three hours today. Use it well."

She moved from the doors gracefully and the twelve of us pushed through.

Inside might've possibly been the biggest hall I'd ever seen at the time. In every corner, there was at least something. Camouflage, knots, knives, spears, maces, everything they usually offered in the arena. I swallowed as most of the group raced to any station to reach it before the others. I looked back to see him, only to find that he had strode past me, directly towards the knife station. Eager not to lose much time dawdling after him, I raced after him and reached him at the same time he reached the station. The handler of our station offered me help as he saw me standing behind Zeus as he looked upon the gallant weapons offered but before I could accept, Zeus waved him away rudely.

"What? Do you want to look like you need help?" Zeus said in response to the scathing look he received.

"I don't care if I look like I need help. I want to get as much help as I can. But, clearly, I can see with an ego as big as your how that would prove a problem to you."

He smirked and handed me a deadly looking one, its point sharper than the usual blunt ones my father held at home and the tip of it slightly curving to cause pain. I grasped it from him and held it for a second.

"Does it meet your approval, my ladyship?" He sniggered. I didn't answer again. He grabbed a similar looking knife from the stack in front of us.

"Great. So, show me what you can do." He pushed me slightly forward to the wall behind us.

"I told you, I've never thrown."

"First time for everything."

"You first."

He held up his hands.

"Fine. Watch princess."

I curled my free hand into a fist, sorely tempted but I released it quickly at the sound of a loud _clang. _The knife he had thrown in the time I had to flex my hand, landed squarely in the centre of the board. What was better was that some tributes had turned to watch.

"Come on," he said, "Try it."

I'd seen every Hunger Games since I was born, everyone had, and during that time plenty of tributes had used knives. I tried to rack my brains for a memory, any memory and at once, it was almost like my brain clicked. I found my image.

I could see Katniss running away from the Cornucopia, a backpack covering her head and I remembered the knife wedging in the space where her head was. I remember the throw as well, kind of. It was straight on, merely a flick of the expert's hand. I gripped the hilt carefully.

I pulled back and swung forward, releasing the knife from my grasp. And it wasn't until that moment that I understood the prospect of me dying in that arena. The knife went from my hand cleanly but it landed on the ground next to the board. Not nearly good enough for someone who needed a skill in weaponry in three days.

I turned back, my face burning with regret that I had ever thrown the stupid weapon. He looked palid. I didn't bother retrieving the weapon. I headed back and stood beside him.

"Will you help me?" I swallowed my pride and whispered. I didn't turn to face him but I could see from the corner of my eye that his expression had not moved. I still remained standing as he walked over slowly to retrieve both knives. I hooked my thumb into the pocket of my trousers and bit my lip as he walked back.

To my surprise, he didn't demonstrate again. He dropped one of the knives and grabbed my hand. I was too surprised to pull back and afterwards I felt no need to. He placed the knife into my hand and lifted my hand with his one, with a firm grip.

He moved closely behind me pulled me hand back.

"Breathe." He whispered. I felt ridiculous but I inhaled softly and as I did so he pulled my hand up beside my head, over my shoulder.

"Ready?" He breathed in my ear and all I could do to refrain from moving was to nod once.

"Go." He said clearly. And I released the knife.

It was better than my first shot but not by much. The knife hit the base of the board. I sighed.

"What? Technically you've injured them. Now, once they're scrambling away, you catch up and strike from above. Simple."

The rest of the session consisted of an hour and a half of me attempting to throw. They were all better than my first but then again, like my second, not by much. But I figured that if we had a full day here tomorrow, I'd be slightly improved. It was my best bet.

After that, he dragged me over to the spears and maces. For maces, you need brute force, which is something I didn't have. But he did, definitely. Spears would probably prove okay for me, were I stuck.

And then we spent the rest of our time circling around the other stations. He avoided camouflage and trapping but I said we should go over tomorrow. Knots looked handy. Not that he paid much attention to me anyway but what did I care? I could've tied knots if I wanted.

As we were being led out, he crept up on me again.

"So, what do you think of our chances?"

I blinked a few times.

"Chances?"

"Yes, in case you haven't noticed, we are in a competition together."

I swallowed again.

"I think, they're good enough. Why?"

He smirked.

"Seriously? Because the way you were going at it, I think we'll be doing shit."

And he strode in front of me without speaking again.

**Okay, well chapter eight possibly tomorrow but if not, definitely the next day. Please, please review. I'd love to thank MountainAir again for sticking by me! You're an amazing reviewer! So please review anyone who reads, just a few words nothing more (psst! Look at the little button below! If you click it, it will give you cookies!...eventually)**


	8. Chapter 8: The Styling

I slept soundly that night, in the knowledge that killing someone like him would be easy. Someone that arrogant is not worth the trouble, so I agreed with myself that separation would be best. I would not be tied down because I needed to partner up with this guy.

Kale woke me that morning insisting that I rise earlier than usual due to the "Busy Day" they had planned. I dressed and listened to her endless tirades about how nice I would be looking tonight. I suppose looking nice wouldn't do any harm but just as long as I wasn't indecent I was fine with it. She giggled and shook her head. I began to get nervous.

She combed my hair back neatly and took a look at me for a second.

"Yes, I presume your mentor has a certain act set up for you. After you return from training, you'll be brought to me and your mentor and we shall prepare you for your interview. Don't worry, they'll all love you."

After waking, I was brought down to the large hall where we were all supposed to meet again before returning to the Training Hall. We were all to meet at eight sharp to compensate for the lack of punctuality that some of the stylists had shown and sure enough everyone was there by eight, dressed in training clothes and glaring around, mostly at Amarine and the rest of the usual Career tributes. Of course, most people were still wondering as to whether the Careers would band together as a pack this year seeing as some of them were stuck with the likes of me. In fact, I had been wondering that myself. If anything, he was unpredictable. Headstrong too as he gave me no choice for the Cornucopia but I would refuse to become part of the Career pack.

We were marched in pairs, and this time as we stepped outside, there was a screaming roar. The crowd was huge and it was clear by the looks by the other tributes that no one else was expecting it. But the guards must've been expecting a fuss seeing as they made short work of making a space in-between the crowd so that we had a path to walk through, even if it was slowly being made smaller by the bulging mob.

There was only space for two on the path, so two sets of guards walked in front of us and several more at the back. Fat chance of escaping through the crowd though. Anyone who tried would've probably been mauled to death by crazed Capitol workers.

As we began walking, I resumed my act by holding both of my hands together and looking down trying to remain emotionless. To be perfectly honest, I was kind of overcome by the fuss they were making. I mean, it wasn't like we were Caesar Flickerman. We were arbitrary teens whom they had picked to be part of their scandalous game. There was nothing special about us really. Sure some of us were pretty, some tough but some of us were hardly worth acknowledging. Which is why I nearly got the shock of my life when I heard my name being cheered from the crowd.

I looked around, mouth closed and eyes widened as wide as they could, trying to find the caller but finding only randomers in the crowd. I looked back only to find Zeus smirking at me.

"Trying to scab as much fame as possible, huh?" He asked and I barely heard him.

"Don't talk to me. People might actually think we've learnt to stand each other." I snapped back, continuing my search for the cheerer. That is, I was until his arm snaked around my waist and pulled me towards him. I let out a little yelp and a few people in the crowd giggled along with him. I blushed immediately and pulled myself away quickly, trying to distract myself by failing to detect a pattern in the buildings of the Capitol. Not that I had ever expressed any interest in architecture before then. In District 12, they didn't place fantasies in your head. You never got the opportunity for jobs like that. But still, even if they were gaudy, the buildings were to be admired.

It took longer than yesterday to reach the training building, and by the time we did I had thought of every foul name I could think of to call him as soon as the crowd was out of sight. We were hurried inside and the doors were slammed. We resumed where we left off yesterday, and ran for the knife station. As soon as Favaria showed an interest in someone else, I turned to him furiously.

"Why the hell did you do that? You twisted, arrogant..."

"Quite finished or shall I let you go on?"

I could not help it. My hand curled into a fist and I lunged for him but as my hand was merely millimetres away from him, he grabbed my hand and held it.

"Rules are rules. Don't worry, you can abuse me as much as you want as soon as we are in the arena. Now, come on, You need to practice."

I didn't move.

"Why are you so eager to help me anyway? Is it some sick game that you have planned out so that you might actually have an opponent who fights back?"

"You think it's wrong for me to want to help you because I think it's unfair that you were brought here with basically no skills? Oh and no, I have no doubts that you will not go down fighting. Now come on."

I didn't argue any further. I ignored his choice of advice and chose my own knife, safe in the knowledge that I didn't need him in the arena.

I threw for a while, and they was a slight improvement but looking around at the other tributes, flinging spears as though they weighed nothing at all and my heart sunk slowly so after a while, I went back up to him.

"I want to practice something else. Knots maybe. They'll come in handy..."

"No, they won't. We won't need to hunt. At the start, we go to the Cornucopia. We get our weapons, food, and we can go on that. Plus, there's bound to be other sources of food in the..."

"Goodness. You really are as dense as you look." I commented, heading over to the knots station. He had no choice but to follow me.

The handler looked pleased as we walked over but I think he was less anxious once he learnt that we weren't prepared to work as a team. As he explained the knots, the two of us quickly tried to out-do the other. I would tie a certain knot and he'd see what I was doing and try to finish quicker and visa versa. At times he would be victorious, and his smirk would let you know all about it but other times, when I won, I'd smirk back. After a while, he got bored of the competition.

"Come on, we should try something else. This stuff is useless." He said, with no regard for the handler.

I shrugged.

"We should try as many as we can. We have plenty of time."

"Fine."

We wandered around for a bit. We argued slightly about climbing and hand to hand combat but in the end we did both.

I preferred climbing. I liked it although I didn't have much stamina but gradually, I had no doubt in the arena that if I survived to the top six that the first place I'd go would be high, on a cliff preferably, seeing as I was much better at climbing on crevasses and holes than branches. He fell quite a few times which gave me quite a big head for that lesson until we got to hand to had.

The handler was very nice but he'd always try moves with me first and I would usually fall flat on my face and by the time it came Zeus' turn, he'd have worked out how to block them. It wasn't hard for me to detect a pattern.

"Don't worry about it. Hey, once you get up a cliff, you can starve to death!"

After an hour or two of intense training, we were led back home, this time without a roaring crowd, much to my delight and comfort. Others seemed somewhat dismayed by the lack of attention they were receiving as we walked back but they quickly regained confidence as we strode into the building, only to be greeted by our stylists and helpers.

I was led upstairs by Kale and three others; three girls. As soon as I reached the door, I was stripped of everything and plonked into a bath of cold water. I was scrubbed head to toe, every single piece of grime removed from my body. They smothered my hair in this silky liquid and some of the hair at the bottom was chopped because I had "split ends", whatever they were. Back home, my mother went to the hairdresser. Usually when mine and my siblings hair got uncontrollable, she would hack off the end with a rusty scissors, problem solved.

"We'll be giving you a few waves to frame your face perfectly!" One of them, called Aurora squealed and I tried my best to look pleased.

They dried me and brushed out my hair, assigning Aurora to the task of hair completely. Kale smiled with me and kept telling me how much I would love my dress.

Another one, called Daphne, grabbed my hand and quickly began filing them, cleaning, and brushing away. After they looked perfect, she applied a coat of midnight black. After that had dried, she brought out a small tipped brush dipped in silver paint and began drawing a certain shape. I recognised it after a while.

"They look like...fumes. Smoke fumes?"

She nodded.

They were pretty but usual smoke fumes didn't look as delicate as she drew them. But then once she went over them, I began to see letters. Faint letter. First a "D", then an "I" until it spelt out the word "District." And then for the last two letters she had two numbers.

"District 12." I read.

She nodded.

"So you don't forget yourself when you are in the arena."

After that, they made me stand and they all applied little sheets to my body that stuck with a type of green liquid. I thought they might be some kind of body cream applicators. That was until they began to rip them off. The first one I couldn't help but scream.

"Woah!" I stumbled back and they giggled slightly.

"It hurts to be beautiful."

Throughout the ordeal, they continued telling me about how beauty hurts.

"No pain, no gain."

I managed to grit my teeth long enough to stand it and when they were finished, my body was completely hairless. They rubbed a buttery cream all around my body, giving a fresh aroma. And Aurora gave my hair a slight curl, loose curls that made my hair fall onto my shoulders in little waves.

Kale brought over a pair of boots, delicate boots with heels at the bottom. They were leather built and she fitted them on my feet perfectly and zipped them up all the way up my feet.

She then brought out my dress. It matched my boots by fabric and it came to my knees. There were no straps but there was a tight zip at the back. She placed it over me and pulled it down.

She refused to let me look in the mirror before my make up was completed. Make up took longer than any of the others. But when I was finished, it had to be said that it looked impressive. My eyes stood out like crystals as they had surrounded them in black and gray. My lips were a pale red-ish pink colour.

"Right, I think we are ready for the interview, don't you?"

**Next chapter might just be the interview but I might move it along a bit!**

**Please review! I'd love to hear from you!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Interview

I was met by Katniss as Kale sent the other stylists out of the room. Katniss strode in but made no effort to speak of my dress or my appearance. I understood that she must've had something on her mind.

A certain sense of guilt filled me each time I saw her, with memories of Peeta filling me. His broken body, his voice too weak to carry anything but a whisper. It was my duty to tell her. And tonight was the night, I decided. I wouldn't let him get hurt if I had a chance to save him.

Kale told me that she would be in the next room if I needed her help. Her eyes gave me a warning but I looked away from it. I didn't want to get Kale in trouble but I couldn't just let him die down there.

The door shut and Katniss walked over and sat opposite me.

"I know we haven't had much time to discuss this but you need an angle of a sort here. I'm probably not the best to pick for you to speak with Capitol workers so I brought a little help..."

"Wait, Katniss." I said and she turned back, eyes awake and alert.

I looked around for a second. I couldn't just blurt it out. There were bound to be hidden cameras here. I snatched up the newspaper that one of Kale's helpers had left.

I waved her over and found an article beginning with the letter "P". I nodded to see if she got it.

"Pharmaceutical?" She said. I shook my head and pointed at the single letter "P".

"P." She whispered and I nodded slightly. I then moved my hand down to an "E".

"P, e."

I found another "E" and a "T". Something sparked in her brain and she inhaled as my hand reached an "A".

She looked at me and nodded. It was that look that she gave me that confirmed to me that listening to my conscience was the right path to take. My hand found a "D."

"Peeta dungeon." She mouthed and I nodded. She took the newspaper from my grasp and spelled out the word "How?"

In answer, I spelled out the word "Kale."

She blinked.

"Yes, well I brought some help with angling. He was my mentor and...he's a lot better with this stuff than I am."

I was shocked about how she shrugged the news away but I nodded as she went for the door. Haymitch Abernathy strode in, and I was surprised that he was not intoxicated.

"How are you? I'm practically your mentor this year so let's get going."

Both of them sat opposite me and Haymitch began talking first.

"So, your stylists have put you in a nice dress. I expect they might have difficulties finding easy questions for you so they'll go with the obvious. Say you love the dress, but pick a certain feature and blab about that for a while. Got it?"

I nodded and he continued.

"How'd you like your partner? Do you get on well? Tell Caesar about your relationships, whether you are looking forward to working together. Now, hopefully, you'll have a bit more cop than this one here." She tilted his head to Katniss and the left side of her mouth tilted upward for a millisecond.

"Basically tell them how much you're enjoying it."

"Well, we're not all chronic liars like you, Haymitch." Katniss interjected. Haymitch grinned.

"It's a gift!"

He continued but basically all he was saying was for me to lie. He didn't even know if I was a decent liar. Hell, I didn't even know I was a decent liar!

Finally, when the time came to leave, Haymitch strode out of the room first. As I attempted to follow, Katniss grabbed my arm tightly and shook my hand. Gratitude. I nodded and attempted a smile. She didn't return it.

Kale came in and the three of them walked me down until we reached the front door, where I was escorted by two guards through the streets to the large dome in the centre of the square. Everything was being publicised to the 10th degree this year.

The rest of the tributes were in a small tent beside the stage on the square and within seconds of the clock striking twelve, there were more people in the square than I had seen in my life.

What was even more shocking was everyone's outfit.

Amarine looked extravagant in a full-length turquoise ballgown. Most of the females were in dresses too and the males in shirts and trousers. Zeus walked up to me, wearing a short sleeved golden shirt to show off his body and silky trousers.

"Nervous?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Well, remember, once they ask you about me, don't be embarrassed to tell them how attracted you are to me. My dazzling smile, my toned body. I know you lot from District 12 have a way of telling the people they love how much they love them. Live television, extremely romantic. You look sexy in that. Told you that you had gorgeous legs." He winked and took his place in line before I could call him a sexist pig.

I received a few odd looks from the female tributes as I stood in, most of whom hadn't even bothered to talk to their partner. What did I care? I wouldn't have spoken to him either if he hadn't come up to me.

"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen of Panem, to the 76th Hunger Games interviews! Tonight we shall be acquainted with this year's tributes. As you know, this year, some twists have been added. The tributes are to be partnered and should work together. Which is why, we decided that as they are partners, they shall be interviewed in their pairs. So now, without further ado, I would love to introduce the first team; Zeus Sobel of District 1 and his partner Leda Stonem of District 12!"

It took me a few seconds to realise that it was me and I had to rush to catch up with Zeus as he mounted the stairs. My breath was taken from my body as we reached the top. The crowd below us roared and cheered. Little chants of "1 and 12!" were heard from all over. Caesar allowed us to take it in before motioning for us to sit opposite him on a small couch.

"Well, why don't you star by introducing yourselves?" Caesar started and I looked to Zeus.

"I'm Zeus. I'm eighteen years old. And this is my partner, Leda." He pointed to me and smiled. I swallowed.

"My name is Leda. I'm seventeen years old."

Caesar nodded and turned to Zeus again.

"So, Zeus. Tell me a little bit about the reapings. How did it feel?"

Zeus began to gush, saying that this was an honour he had never dreamed of, and that he wanted to make his District proud.

"My family. They aren't with me anymore but I know they'd be very proud."

As soon as he had finished, Caesar moved to me.

"So, Leda, how did it feel being told that you'd be partnering up this year?"

Without thinking, I glanced over at Zeus. He gave me a reassuring nod and Caesar crinkled his nose.

"Well...initially...it was a surprise, I mean, nothing like this has ever been done. I suppose," I swallowed and convinced myself to breathe, "I suppose it will help the victor, if they are to chose the fate of Panem, then it will help...with communications. I mean, take Zeus and I for example. We're quite different..."

"But we get on well." Zeus smiled and bumped his knee against my own. Caesar smiled.

"It's good that you approve. So, seeing as you get on well, tell me a little about her, Zeus."

He chuckled, winning the crowd over completely by flashing them a smile.

"Well, there are plenty of facts I could tell you about this lady here already and I've only known her a few days." He looked directly at me and I began to get nervous.

"She's stubborn."

I looked sideways at him.

"Very stubborn," he laughed, "She's also quite clever, cunning. She's pretty but quite sceptical! "

I blushed at the last comment. I needed to remind myself to make his murder explicitly painful.

Caesar smiled.

"She certainly is. Leda, would you care to tell us a bit about Zeus here?"

I nodded, thinking clearly.

"Well," I wanted to say that he was arrogant and sexist but it wasn't easy as he had just made good things up about me. I didn't want to backstab but I didn't want to let him get away with it either.

"Zeus is...smart. He knows how to read people well. Get under their skin..."

"And you would know all about that?" Zeus interrupted and the crowd burst into laughter at the implications.

"He's very skilled too." I finished, glaring at him as best I could. Caesar finished laughing and thanked us.

"I'm sorry but we're out of time! Thank you and best of luck!"

We stood up and both shook Caesar's hand. We walked side by side towards the stairs. And just before we were invisible from the public eye, he looked back at the crowd, smiled, and kissed me on the cheek.

**Woah okay, that took longer than I thought. You might get a chapter tomorrow but seeing as it is New Year's I am not quite sure! I'll try!**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Score

"You had no right to do that in front of everyone." I said the next day, throwing a knife at the board and it met its target.

"Nice shot." He tried.

"Shut up! Just...leave me alone!" I said throwing another. He sighed.

"Jeez, it was a joke, okay? And, I hate to break it to you, Princess, but you're stuck with me whether you like it or not!"

"Ugh! Just stop with the sexist jokes! Stop with the condescending nicknames! And stop thinking that you can do anything you bloody want to!"

I didn't turn around because I knew that if I had, he'd have been smirking at me. Instead, I retrieved my knife and threw again, trying to concentrate.

"You concentrate better when you're angry. Try to imagine that board as my face and you'll hit it dead on!" He laughed and found his own knife and began sparing with the handler.

I continued grumbling under my breath and throwing and after a while, I walked over to the climbing station and he followed reluctantly as I tackled the tree.

"You decided what you're going to do tonight?" He asked casually. I simply nodded.

"Care to tell?" He asked.

"Not you."

"Well, I suppose you do have a bucket-load of friends in here. It isn't like I'm the only one who is here helping you."

That comment made me stop. I swallowed and told myself to forget it as I reached for the next crevasse. He followed me and I tried to dangle my feet lower than I needed to put further space between but it didn't put enough space between us. I sighed and made a effort to reach the next hole.

"Hurry up." He said impatiently from down below me and anger spurted back through my veins, causing them to pulse wildly.

Instead of lifting my feet away from him, I smacked my foot down and it hit into his shoulder, causing him to become unbalanced, luckily for me. Unluckily for me, however, was the fact that to regain his balance, he gripped onto my ankle and I let out another yelp.

"Let go, you idiot, you're pulling me down!"

"That's the point." He grumbled and tugged at my leg again.

"If I fall, we both do!"

Then he grinned.

"Then we fall together!" he smiled and pulled at my leg again and this time my fingers couldn't stand the weight and the two of us went crashing towards the ground, clinging to our safety ropes. Before we reached the ground, we came to a sudden stop in mid-air opposite each other.

"Bloody lunatic." I muttered with hope that he managed to hear. His smile took over again. Oh yeah, he heard.

"You didn't enjoy our little fun ride, then?"

"No, I didn't," I snapped, "You are insane and if this were the real thing, we'd probably be dead by now!"

"Well, that just means you can't try to kick me off then, doesn't it?"

I ignored him, mostly because I knew it was my fault and I began climbing again, in need of getting to higher ground before he caught up and tried to kill us again. He followed me closely throughout the rest of our training session. I tried not to speak again but I was forced into small conversations between us and the various handlers. I had been contemplating as to what I would do today but seeing as I didn't have much of a wide range of talents in these weapons, I decided that I would be climbing and throwing, keeping it simple. It was plainly obvious that I wouldn't be getting twelves any time soon but I did not want to be considered out of this. I wanted to be counted as a contender and to do that I would need to be prepared. I stalked back and forth between the climbing and knife stations at various intervals. I'm not sure what made him stop, but he didn't object to my choices of stations. Seeing as it was Score-day, we were allowed travel to different stations to practice by ourselves for a bit but only after the first two hours of training. At different times, I would glance over at him, as I dangled from the climbing rope and I'd wonder what he would be presenting to the judges. He had, unlike me, a wide variety of talents which I had stupidly ignored at the start. It would've been a major piece of information if I knew every weapon he could wield but then again, I seriously doubted if he would be completely truthful.

But usually, after a while, one of the other tributes would venture over and I would have to leave for fear of any other interaction between non-partnered tributes. It was usually the knife station that people went to and I was happy to get a kick-start on climbing. Both of them, I was sure, would serve me well.

After quite a few hours of training, we were collected by various guards and led through the streets of the Capitol, which were strangely empty. Most people would probably be waiting for the scores to appear, sitting down with eyes glued to their luxury television sets. At times, when I was less focused, I would think that, even by some freak chance that I came out of that arena alive, that there would be nothing for me here. I would be the controller but what else? My entire family had been wiped out. Most people here had people to return for, lives to fight for. But me? What value would I be? I hadn't even out any thoughts into any decisions I could possibly be making. I wondered if Zeus had. And then, I'd carefully remind myself that whatever Zeus' ideas were, they would probably be the complete opposite of mine. I also knew that there wasn't a chance in hell that I'd be making any clear decisions by myself. I might get to choose as to whether it would be the Capitol or District 13 in charge, but that would be it. Then I would've served my purpose. Then they wouldn't need me.

All of these thoughts ploughed through my deeply confused mind as I dressed for my presentation. Kale made a few comments but she clearly detected that I wasn't concentrated on my outfit, as she spent most of the time addressing herself rather than me but for some odd reason the sound of another human voice was relaxing.

She pulled my hair back tightly.

"I can't have that falling into your face when you're climbing, can I?"

I nodded, uninterested until something clicked.

"How did you know I was climbing?" I asked, turning around once she had fastened my hair down with careful pins, making sure not even a loose wave escaped.

Her hands froze at the roots of my hair as I asked but she quickly recovered.

"They find everything out, Leda. Anything they want, anytime. It's in their interest to."

I wrinkled my eyebrows.

"But...why would they tell you?" I did not mean for it to sound demeaning but a flash of hurt registered on her face and she turned away from me, clearly an indication that she did not want to give an answer. I dropped the subject.

She fixed my boots, that were apparently crooked, and took a good long look at me. I have to say, I didn't look bad. My brown hair was fastened back out of my face and I wore a red t-shirt, which had thin sleeves at the top to make it easier to climb with. The trousers were practical too and the boots had excellent grip, good footing.

She smiled slightly and patted my shoulder.

"Come on, then. Better dazzle those judges, young lady. I tell you, I'm not pouring my heart and soul into these outfits for nothing." She grinned and I tried to return it but some of her words stung slightly. As if this were al some beauty contest. Well, it certain added to it. You couldn't have anything in the Capitol without some type of glamour being attached to it. I shrugged off the comments and focused on more important things. Like how I _was _going to dazzle these judges. Kale might've had her mind on certain things but she certainly got that aspect right.

We walked quickly down towards to elevator and we took it to the first floor, where most of the other tributes, their stylists, and Favaria were waiting.

He approached me coolly as we were waiting and I didn't tell him to leave or make any snide comments, and even more surprisingly, neither did he.

"You nervous?" he said at last, and as the word "nervous" popped into my head, I felt a muscle in my leg tighten. I nodded slowly and looked to him for his answer.

"I'm nervous," he said, "but for other reasons."

He didn't clarify this statement and as everyone arrived, we walked in our pairs with our guards and stylists towards the training centre and we barely said another word to one another. But, again like having Kale fussing around my hair, it was comforting to have someone beside me, about to go through the same thing. Even if, at best, I could not stand him.

The training centre was surrounded with guards and soldiers and if anything, this made me more anxious. To be boxed in, cornered, with no means of escape. Almost as if this area were a microcosm of the arena itself.

They gave us no preparation time, or time to relax . Zeus was bundled in and I barely shot him a glance, wishing him well silently but keeping a glare plastered on my face, getting through this one minute at a time.

Sessions went, tributes came and went until it was just Henry, from District 11, and I left waiting. We sat together but we didn't speak. I felt as though it were up to me to say some comforting words but I could think of none that would be truthful and the last thing, I decided, would be to feed this child a pack of lies. Because that was all he was, merely thirteen. He fiddled with his hands a lot, like me and every once in a while, he'd glance in my direction and I'd try to look vaguely hopeful. It probably came out as deranged.

Once he was called in, my heart sunk. I was completely alone. They refused to put tributes in the same room after they'd seen the Gamemakers, just in case any of them gave the others a hint, because it wouldn't be fair. But, the last time I checked, the Capitol never cared for justice.

At last, it came my turn and as I walked slowly into the hall, six eyes were on me. I remember Katniss warning me that I might have to earn their attention because they'd most likely be tired, but I didn't. They stared at me intently, as if half expecting me to pull a gun out of my pocket but I grabbed as many knives as I could fit comfortably in my belt, with deep consideration of the comfort involved, going up the climbing wall. I brought four knives and arranged them carefully so that they wouldn't get in the way of my legs and with one final look at the judges, I began to climb.

I tried to speed it up more than usual, breathing softly. One foot, one hand. My breathing grew heavier but I doubted if they could hear. I tried to imagine myself alone in this room, no one watching me, but it didn't really work. As I reached the top of the board, I saw a few judges looking vaguely impressed. I wondered if any of the other tributes had climbed for them. By the looks on their faces, this was new. I pulled all of the knives out of my belt and chose one and held it up, attempting to look confident. I thought of Zeus and how his confidence seemed to come naturally. I tried to imitate his look, the look that said "you may try but you will fall on your ass if you ever attempt to do anything I can do". I wasn't sure if I succeeded but I held the knife up, chose a target, and threw gracefully.

The knife sliced through the dummy's face.

I swear, I very nearly tripped off the wall.

I threw again, aiming for different targets every time, but not willing to push my look. I aimed for the knife board and it landed somewhat in the middle of the board and I half hoped that the judges might guess it was in the middle from the angle they were at.

The dummy, the knife board I aimed for three times, and I got it at the base the second time but the second time I missed by about half of a meter but I plastered a smile on my face as I fit were the target I was aiming for all the time.

And for the last knife, seeing as I hadn't made much of an impression on the judges so far, I had an idea. I smirked and stepped to the edge of the climbing board, lifting the knife carefully.

I jumped, legs out in a pose I remember the instructor doing and I stared at the ground that was rapidly approaching. I landed with a crunch of my leg but I looked balanced, and with one final look at the judges, I plunged the knife into the floor below me, pretending it might've been a tribute. I stood up carefully, noticing that my leg was okay and I removed the knife from the floor, I held it my hand and twisted it as I walked, simple moves that my brother used to do. Oh, he was skilled. I always tried to imitate his moves but I never got them as perfect as him. But, hoping that no one else had attempted presenting themselves with knives, I did it.

I threw for the knife board again and the knife went in, not at my target, to the far right but I had proved something.

The small man on the corner spoke gruffly.

"You're dismissed."

I left.


	11. Chapter 11: The Eight

"Well," asked Kale as we shut the door of my room carefully, "How did it go?" She smiled. I exhaled properly for the first time since I left the training centre. Seeing as I was able to breathe freely here without worrying as to whether I looked impressive, I slouched into the chair.

"It went...well. I did my climbing and throwing. They went okay. But my throwing was kind of amateur compared to most. I mean, I just did straight hand throwing, nothing fancy. I hit a couple of things so I...I better wait."

Kale looked surprised at me.

"Yes?"

"I think that was the longest statement you have ever said to me." She was nearly smiling. I blinked. She was right, too. I wasn't too good at deciding who to trust. I opened myself up at the wrong times.

"Well.." I said but nothing else came. I doubt she expected me to answer anyway.

She hurried over to me with a tray of food and placed it in front of me. I ate slowly, noticing that my stomach was not asking for food but I thought that I had better eat anyway. It seemed odd somehow, wasting food here, food that I will certainly be needing in the arena.

I ate silently as Kale stared out the window.

"It's too empty. Too still." She muttered, with a hint of sadness.

I nodded, uncertain as to whether I should try to talk to her seeing as I didn't really know what it was like but I never caught her gaze. Her green eyes shone over the city below us.

"To think...this will all be gone." She said dreamily. That broke my thoughts.

"How? Nothing has happened to the Capitol. Nothing has ever happened to the Capitol." I said quickly.

She turned to me, her mouth forming a thin lipped frown.

"Don't. You don't understand. You're just a child."

I opened my mouth to argue until I saw the delicate tear stream down her face, leaving a fragile mark on her otherwise perfect face. I narrowed my eyes.

"This is the end of me, Leda. This is the last Hunger Games. After that, there will be a war, and the winning side will take over and you must think that the Hunger Games are awful, but they will be nothing compared with what's to come." She folded her arms and rubbed the next tear that came away quickly.

"Here, you will be given a chance. There is a certain degree of mercy. But war is never merciful. You are given no chance. And what of me? What of my friends? We have no idea how to fight for ourselves..."

"Then you shouldn't have decided to become part of this barbaric idea."

Her look of thoughts disappeared. She took in a steady breath and walked away, into the bathroom and locked the door. She did not appear until I had finished my meal and was ready to receive of my score. And by that time, all the evidence of her tears was gone. But I heard her whimper through the door and I felt bad that I had caused it. I looked down at my fingertips and read their little message.

"Kale?" I called softly. There was a sound of scuffling in the bathroom.

"I'm coming!" She said and a few minutes later the door swung open and out stalked confident Kale, the one I had learnt had many different sides.

"We had best be going. I want to know if I'd be betting on the right tribute." She gave my shoulder a small nudge and we headed off down to the meetings room.

We were fairly early and we took our seats opposite the large television screen, as others had. Across the room, I saw Zeus, his face curved into the arrogant smile I had become used to and his arms were crossed. He thought he'd won this already. He didn't glance back once. I released a breath. I didn't need him to, anyway.

Everyone else arrived and at nine o'clock sharp, the screen came to life with Caesar Flickerman smiling brightly in his yellow suit. He greeted Panem entirely and described himself as "being beside himself with anxiety" and suggested that he let everyone know how well the tributes this year had gotten on.

Zeus' face, his reaction at the reaping calm and cool, came on to the screen and a few heads turned to him but his eyes were entirely focused on the screen.

Caesar swallowed.

"Ten!" He shouted and the number ten appeared in the corner of Zeus' picture. The room stood quiet but I knew that he'd be celebrating.

Caesar clapped and moved on to Amarine's Picture, her face smiling smugly, as she stood proudly on stage.

"Ten!" Caesar shouted again and the room took a deep breath. Two tens?

I furrowed my brow but Kale's hand reached over and merely tipped mine. I straightened up but thoughts of doubt still crept in. My throwing hadn't been great. Sure, the shots had landed but the throws were simple. Amateurish. Nothing compared to what Amarine could possibly have done.

They went through the scores of the other tributes quickly and I sat quietly, knowingly, taking every threat in. Some weren't to be worried about. District Five only received a four and District Eleven, little Henry, managed to earn a five but I knew that it wouldn't be enough, even if he was with Amarine.

After Henry received his score, my face showed, looking slightly shocked and uncertain. I curled my fingers into the palm of my hand and waited. I heard Caesar's voice call.

An eight popped up in front of my face.

Kale broke into a smile and gripped my hand.

"Well done!" She whispered and all I could do was nod. The shock was plenty.

I exhaled easily and felt myself perk up. I looked around slightly, trying to see other peoples reaction but finding only Zeus' gaze from across the room. We both kept it for a minute silently. Until he broke it by place his hand on his thigh, with his thumb pointing up and a grin creeping up with it.

**It's shorter than usual but the next chapter will be longer, I promise!**

**LF x**


	12. Chapter 12: The Unexpected

**MountainAir: Your review made me laugh so much! No, I didn't mean for it to sound perverted! I meant it as a Thumbs up but I read over it again with that image and it sounds like it! **

**Yeliah Kazami: Yes, I love Greek Mythology! I'm happy you noticed! And if you are as obsessive as I am, Look up the myth of Leda and Zeus! It is where I got the brain wave.**

I woke the next day with the same sound in my mind as the night before. Caesar Flickerman's voice calling out the number eight over and over again, and each time it gave me a different kind of pleasure. I got up quickly, unwilling to waste my last day. Besides, it was a private day. I could stay by myself if I wanted and hadn't that been what I was missing? Time alone was blessed.

I swallowed softly, also noting the fact that it was my last day of luxury. Tomorrow was the day I had been dreading. I took my right hand in my left and held it for a minute, pondering what I should do with my time. I should be training but they deemed it forbidden as it would be an unfair advantage to tributes who didn't. I could spend some time with Katniss but I doubted that I was her main priority seeing as the love of her life was under my feet, chained and held in a cell to be beaten and possibly killed.

I nodded to myself, inhaling loudly. At least I had told her. I wouldn't have been able to look at her properly if I hadn't. I stood up from the side of my bed and took a look out the window. Somehow I doubted that there would be a crowd seeing as nothing of interest would happen but there were the odd few Capitol workers below, hurrying around, preparing the city for its final triumph. I washed and dressed and waited for someone to arrive to give me some sort of instruction.

I wasn't left waiting that long. After about twenty minutes or so, Favaria unlocked the door and came in, a clipboard and an oversized pen in her overly-cleansed hand. She didn't look too happy to see me sitting around and she took the time to give me a disapproving stare.

"What shall we do with you lot?" She muttered and I didn't bother to answer.

Instead of waiting, she cut across the room, stamping in her high heels and she ticked something off her list.

"Well, Leda, you have the choice of seeing your mentor here, you are also free to stay in your room which must remain locked until precisely six o'clock, where either I, or your stylist shall collect you and you shall be brought to the main dining hall downstairs where you shall join your fellow tributes for a final meal. What shall it be?" She paused and took a deep breath. I wasn't surprised; a sentence that long deserved a gallon of water afterwards.

"Oh, I'll stay here then." I said and she ticked something off her list.

"Great. I shall see you later so. Use your time well."

She turned the door and locked it from the outside, leaving me by myself.

The first thing I did was take a shower. I decided to take full value out of what the Capitol had to offer, seeing as they were putting my life at stake. I stayed under the water for ages, wanting to waste every drop of water they had, trying to inconvenience them in some way but having no clue how. I cleaned my hair, noticing that it had been chopped cleanly and now came to my breast bone. I thought of my mother and how she used to twist my hair into all sorts of different patterns. She loved my hair being long. I hoped it was long enough for her now.

I poured soap all over my body, scrubbing everywhere, trying to remain clean enough seeing as I doubted that they'd have a built in shower in the arena. I noticed that no matter how strongly I scrubbed at my nails, the pattern and paint remained, gleaming in the sunlight that streamed through the semi-open window.

After a while of scrubbing and cleaning, I finally stood out, whipping my hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of my face while I dressed again, taking my time as I dried myself with the cotton towels that were softer than anything I had felt before.

Finally, after I finished dressing, I unlocked the bathroom door, dumping the dirty towels into the washing basket that they had left beside the door. I curled up my fingers and turned the corner, to face my bed.

I nearly screamed.

Lying on my bed, with a small padlock in his hand, was Zeus, his face upside down to me but there was no denying that he took pleasure out of my surprise.

"Hey." He said, and sat up, blinking.

I opened my mouth but the words came out as a jumbled mess. I looked frantically over at the door that was shut but there was no evidence of a forced entry. I brought my hands to my head.

"You broke into my room!" I demanded. He bit his lip and tried to hide a small grin.

"Here let me explain." He stood up and walked over to me casually.

"The weird woman came around and told me that we were only allowed talk to ourselves or to our mentors. Now, my mentors a grumpy bitch so I decided that I'd rather annoy you so I asked if I could see my partner to discuss tactics and she said 'Sure, if you can manage to break out of your locked door and into another locked door, knock yourself out.' So I did!" He looked pretty pleased with himself.

"Yeah, it's a little thing called sarcasm!" I shouted and he clamped a hand over my mouth furiously.

"Thank you for demonstrating the best way to get caught. I'm going to let go, but if you scream again, I'm locking you in the bathroom, okay?"

He let go and looked for an answer. In answer, I shoved him backwards and he landed on my bed.

"Why, I had no idea that you were this eager! I mean, I knew you were attracted to me but you seriously want..."

"Shut up! Just, shut up!" I said, allowing my face to turn a furious crimson colour.

"Hey," he said, standing up and he put a hand on my cheek, "It's okay. A lot of girls love me, nothing to be embarrassed about."

I slapped his hand away and had to bite down on my tongue to stop myself from screaming again.

"This is all you've been doing since we got together! Saying that I like you, talking about how good-looking you bloody are, kissing me!" I shouted a little at the last one and he raised an eyebrow.

"Leda, it wasn't even a proper kiss. It was the cheek."

"You still had no right to do it!"

He stood closer to me but I didn't back down. Nothing he could say would scare me. I was his perfect match in an argument.

"What if I wanted to?" he whispered in a voice that sent slight shivers down my back, only not for a good reason.

"Well, what if I want to do this?" I said and I smacked him in the stomach. "Or what about this?" I said and I stamped down on his feet.

"Or this?" He said and he pushed me against the wall and kissed me forcefully on the lips. He pushed his body against mine and only then did I realise how strong he was. His hold was enough to keep me perfectly in place as he stole a kiss from me. His lips moved from my mouth to my neck and it was that movement that woke me up and I shoved him away.

"Don't you _dare_." I spat and he himself looked temporarily dismayed.

"What's wrong?" He whispered. I could not believe what I was hearing.

"What's wrong? What's _wrong?_ I'll tell you what's bloody wrong! I'm on the verge of death and everyone else seems to be celebrating! You can't even take our partnership seriously! And, you think you can just push me around and.. _kiss _me whenever you bloody well feel like it! Well, I'm going to bloody tell you now that..."

"Don't lie and say you didn't like it."

He moved forward again, attempting to corner me against the wall but I was ready. I walked to the side.

"Why are you doing this? Your trivial brain must at least be able to realise that we are about to face death!" I said. He blinked.

"So, why not have a bit of fun before hand? Do you honestly want to spend your last day slouching around, crying your pretty little eyes out because you're terrified of the future?"

"That sounds like the logical answer, yes."

He rolled his eyes.

"Wouldn't you rather get the most out of life in these last few days? Feel alive and awake again, like you were at home. Just forget about tomorrow. Think about today." He smiled slightly, but it wasn't one of his arrogant smiles. It was inviting. And I didn't like it.

"No. I can't push it away like that..."

"Fine! Let me know when you learn to live a little."

He didn't leave. Instead, he sat on my bed again.

"Right, so how fast a runner are you? Good sprinter?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Decent, I suppose."

He thought about this for a minute.

"Right well, we're aiming for the Cornucopia for definite. Food and weapons are our first priority. But we won't be alone. District 2 is most likely heading that direction to but I can take her and you can go after the little one," he saw the indecision in my face but moved on, "We need to get there quickly. If you reach it first, grab a knife and get in there."

He kept giving the orders but it was basically all the same. Get to the Cornucopia and fight from there. I didn't agree but then again, he wasn't in control of me. I could run from the Cornucopia and follow him later once the massacre was finished. Of course, that would be the most cowardly action ever taken but how was I supposed to take on Amarine? She had Panem fooled with her little celestial smile and her magnificent way with words, gushing and blushing every five seconds.

I folded my arms and pretended to be listening, but really I was wondering why the hell he just did that? I mean, it wasn't due to attraction. Either he enjoyed seeing me squirm or...no, that was it. The idiot got a kick out of watching me feel shocked to the bone and I was sick of it. I had a right mind to do something equally embarrassing to him but then I realised that he would probably enjoy it.

The clock reached half-five as we continued to talk quietly.

"You should go. Someone will be going to your room, probably outside your door right now."

He smirked.

"Yeah, I don't recall seeing the door as I left. Well, I saw it but that doesn't mean it was on its hinges..."

My eyes widened to twice their normal size.

"You tore the door off its hinges? How stupid can you get! Get out now before you get us both in trouble!"

"Don't worry about it. I'll tell them it was budget cuts."

I caught myself smiling despite my anger. He narrowed his eyes when he saw it and smiled slightly himself.

"Well, I'll leave then. Don't want my princess getting into trouble, do I? Besides, once we're in the arena, no one will be able to tell us what to do!"

"I think you're a little confused. Once we're in the arena, people are going to be trying to kill us."

He shrugged.

"Or you could equally argue that we'll be trying to kill them. We could well be on top of that arena, don't you think?"

"No."

He smirked.

"Well, can I just say that I'm looking forward to working with you, Ms. Stonem. And who knows? Maybe I will get a kiss from you."

I crossed my arms and clearly displayed on my face how happy I was about this idea.

"Somehow I doubt it. Now leave, you'll get into even more trouble if they found out you broke in to my room."

"One last kiss, and I'll descend." He murmured. I rolled my eyes.

"Piss off, Romeo."

He smiled.

"Until tonight, my love."

Despite my annoyance, a tiny little smidgen of a smile appeared on my face before I wiped it clean. But not before he saw. Not before he smiled. And not before he placed his hand to his face and blew me a kiss.

**I know, I know, it's taken me years to write this little segment but my Mocks are starting next week which I am clearly overjoyed about so I won't be able to write as often as I like anymore ****. But I'll keep trying. Plus, this counts as English study, right?**

**LF xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13: The Death

**Some bad language in this chapter.**

I sat on my bed with crossed arms. This guy, I had decided for sure, had mental disabilities. Plus, his hot and cold attitude was really giving me a pain. As in I'd rather have a permanent woodpecker on my head than listen to him kind of pain.

What annoyed me the most was the fact that I had just stood there. Right in that very spot, I had stood and listened to his insanity. I had stood while he convinced me that breaking down a Capitol door and breaking in to a prohibited area was clearly not a crime. I had been pushed against a wall while my personal space was invaded. And for at least a minute, I had stood there and let it happen. For sixty seconds, my common sense just left the building. But it had returned. At least there was that.

I gulped back my bitterness at my own actions and shook up my hair a bit, as an attempt to dry it. Obviously, it didn't work and left me closely resembling a squirrel but no matter. I plonked myself back down on my bed and blew out my cheeks. Today, I was safe. Tomorrow, who knows how long I'd last.

A knock on my door roused me and I stood up, eager not to let Favaria give me another lecture on "dwindling."

Kale opened the door with a bright smile.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded and we left, my hands suddenly becoming jittery as she frowned, trying to re-lock my door.

"Faulty key." She muttered and shrugged, "Don't worry; I'll alert someone from maintenance."

We arrived in the dining room just as most tributes were arriving. The dining table looked amazing: in the centre of the table an enormous roast of a pig and in its mouth was an apple, surrounding it were countless plates of food, some I didn't recognise but was still willing to cram as much in my mouth as possible. I stared hungrily at the vast quantities of food in front of me and glanced at Kale daringly. She shook her head and I stared at the ground as everyone else walked in. We took our arranged seats beside our partners and stylists. In unison, several servants piled into the room with plates and laid them in front of us. Everyone dug in.

The food, as always, was delicious and for once I didn't care if everyone was looking down on me for eating as much as I could cram into my mouth. I kept filling my plate with this expensive food and I just ate and ate.

At one particular moment, I caught Zeus' gaze and saw him smile slightly. But for once it wasn't one of his cocky smiles. It was kind of sweet looking but I didn't return it. I continued on my rampage and ate as much as my mouth would accept. After a while, I stopped to look around, suddenly realising that this would most likely be the last time I would see them all before the arena. It was a bit late now to go picking out the faults. I cursed myself for not doing it earlier but deep down I knew that I didn't have to. Much to my distaste, I knew I would be dependent on him in the arena. More so than I would probably want and it annoyed me that if I got too dependent, that I might not have been able to survive on my own. But I did my best to push those thoughts out and told myself that I needed to be strong. If I lost my head before I went in, well, it was even more of an advantage to them.

At one point, I looked over at Amarine who was still chewing on her first course whilst most of us had finished. She didn't notice my eyes glaring at her under the radar. Instead, she looked up blankly at someone else. Two guesses who that might be. I frowned slightly as he looked back and smiled. What was he doing? Those were our enemies! I bit my lip uncomfortably and looked down at the tablecloth. When I looked back, their gaze had been broken. Good.

After a while, a few servants came back in and collected our plates, I was satisfied that I'd taken as much as I could handle and passed my plate politely to the Avox. Others did not and allowed the Avox to clean the area around them without acknowledging their presence.

All at once the stylists stood up and made a line at the top of the room. The twelve of us stared at them with interest. I wondered vaguely if they were going to start singing or something equally stupid like that. But they didn't. But one stood forward proudly and began talking.

He spoke about how honoured he was to have the chance to work with us, in the name of the Nation. A few of us bit back words, I noticed but the stylist continued as if no interruption had taken place.

Every stylist got about a minute or two to speak. Mostly they recycled the same speech about being honoured to work with us and how obliging we were and grateful. If it hadn't made me nearly sick, I might've though they'd been good speakers.

The last stylist stood in front to give his piece and he ended with prudent words.

"Of course, we are all proud of the decision made. I'm sure all of you twelve will make us so proud to fight for your country. Remember; dulce et decorum est pro patria mori. It is sweet and honourable to die for one's country."

The language in wihch he spoke confused me as I had never heard anything but our own tongue spoken. I stared up with interest at him just as I heard an eruption of laughter from opposite me.

District 8.

Everyone's eyes shot over to her immediately as she stood up.

"My turn, I suppose," her speech slurred and I wondered faintly if anyone had given her alcohol, "Well, let me tell you just how fucking proud I am to be here." She pushed away from her chair and a few servants rushed forward to stop her but they were stopped in their tracks as she raised the knife from the roast and held it in front of her coolly.

"I'd like to start with a reference to our dear bloody President. I was born sixteen years ago into a family of poverty. Perhaps I should elaborate on that word as clearly _none _of you know what it means. It means your mother is forced to work eleven hours in a factory because your father tried to run from his hell hole of a house. It means she comes home bleeding from the strain her fingers were under because of that pressure. It means she had to watch two of her children starve in front of her because she couldn't provide enough food to go around. It means that people die because of your selfishness. And you stand there leering at us and telling us that we should be _proud_ to be given the chance to kill each other for your fucking enjoyment! Well, you know what? I think I'm going to enjoy myself now. You all live in this pathetic little lie he has created that lesser beings deserve their living conditions," a few Avox's dropped their hands and actually listened, "You believe his tainted words because it benefits you, you are completely ignorant to our lives and our sufferings! And you tell us outright that it is an honour to die for such a man. Liars."

She raised the knife and I thought she was about to throw it, but when I realised what her true intentions were, it was too late. Shouts burst from the table as people surged forward to stop her but the knife slit her throat and a necklace of red beads appeared as she struggled to breathe. She fell to the ground with a thump and she stopped twitching.

They shoved us into rooms, two in each room and locked the doors as the commotion outside bustled on with the odd terrified scream rang through our ears. I didn't speak to him but I sat on one of the chairs and placed both of my hands against my ears. Zeus sat beside me and for a second we sat in disbelief. He swallowed.

Despite my disbelief, a single tear fell from my eyes and I made no attempt to stop it falling. It landed on the floor and I saw him glance down at it. I felt, with a start, his hand on me and he began rubbing my back.

"You'll be fine." He kept saying over and over again.

I turned my head to face and I saw a glimmer of remorse in his eyes as he continued rubbing. I closed my eyes and I felt myself lifted up, wrapped up in his arms as he continued murmuring those three words in my ear. Despite my desperate need for a shield, I let the eager tears run from my eyes and into his shoulder. His left arm was left rigid holding me up as his right attempted to soothe me again by rubbing my back. My silent tears soaked into his shirt and I felt it damp against my cheek before I realised what was happening. A girl had killed herself in front of us, and here was I, receiving comfort from the boy I had sworn I would abandon or kill as soon as I could.

I moved away slowly and he removed his arms.

"You okay?" He whispered.

"I'm fine." I said quickly and desperately tried to wipe the evidence from my eyes. There was a silence in which both of us stared at the floor, confused. I broke it by standing up.

"Will they get a replacement?" I asked, raising my tone.

He blinked, unsure as to whether I was actually okay. I wasn't, I had just allowed myself to be comforted by someone who would be plotting to kill me. But I swallowed and sucked up my pride.

"Not sure. They only have a couple of hours."

I nodded knowingly and stood up to look out the window. A couple of hours. That was all I had left. I wasn't under any delusion that I would be the victor. They wouldn't let that happen. I curled my hands and looked out at the night, understanding that it might be the final real night I ever saw. It was beautiful.

**Ok, next chapter starts the arena!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Arena

**Yes, it has been weeks! I'm really sorry, school has sadly taken over my life! But here we go.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Hunger Games.**

Sixty seconds. Only sixty seconds. I knew I would not be able to count as I was lowered into the small pod-like chamber. I was way too scared. I tried to steady my breathing and I was vaguely aware that the other competitors could see me so I tried to look stoic but I knew I was unsuccessful. It wasn't merely the prospect of the Games that unsteadied me though. The death that last night had shaken me up and I wasn't sure why it should've. It wasn't as though I knew the girl and surely I should've been pleased that it meant that there were only eleven tributes going into the arena. But I felt so shaken that I had allowed him to put his arms around me and that was definitely the other factor of my unease. How could I have cracked my shell so easily and let him in? I was never an open person. I was beginning to think of what the prospect of death was making of me.

I heard the gong sound powerfully and I braced myself, sinking into a running position. Sixty seconds. Not too much time but enough for me to focus my attention on the arena ahead of me. It was like other years; there was an area of forestry, though it wasn't nearly as big as I would've liked, most of the arena was built of rock. Directly ahead of me, I saw the intoxicating gleam of the Golden Cornucopia that stood majestically on top of a mountain of rock. Coming out of the right side of the mountain, a waterfall fell to become part of the lake below it. The weather looked blistering.

I saw a flash of long blonde hair heading towards the mountain. Amarine. I immediately began running. Directly behind Amarine, Zeus sprinted to catch up with her and the others followed suit. I sped up .

Amarine began climbing up the side of the wall and mere seconds later, three others had caught up and were climbing eagerly. I scanned the wall, desperately seeking another way in. Then it hit me.

I dived head first into the lake, a sense of enjoyment coming over me. The water was cold. I swam as well as I could, heading directly for where the stream met the lake and as I reached it, I heard a scream of pain from above.

The bloodbath had begun.

I began climbing up the front of the wall, directly under the Cornucopia. The clints in the wall were big and extremely visible, and I climbed up to the top with little difficulty. But, of course, I expected it to get far worse as soon as I arrived.

I hauled myself up and instantly rushed to the Cornucopia, taking advantage of the fact that I hadn't been noticed yet. Famous last words. The girl from District 6 launched herself at me, wielding an enormous spear. I skidded to a hault and my legs grazed against the abrasive floor.

I kicked out to prevent her getting closer, though my legs still stung. She stabbed downward and I swung my legs across to swing her to the floor. Her spear fell from her grasp but as I reached to grab it, her partner, the boy from District 7 dragged me by my hair across the floor. I screamed and lashed out with my fists but that was it. His arm threw me roughly to the ground and I tried to glare at him straight in the eye.

"Stupid bitc..."

But he couldn't finish. I saw the sword come through his chest and despite my anger, the blood that spilt on to me smelt sickening.

Zeus kicked District 7 forward and I scrambled to get away. Zeus grabbed my hand and hauled me to my feet.

"Wow. Five minutes in and you could've died twice. That must be a record."

He didn't smile but rushed back into the fight he had left. _To save the little damsel in distress. _In a flash, I was up and running, ignoring the fact that my torso was wet with the warm blood of the boy that had to die for me to live. I ignored it because I had to; I couldn't let it lead my focus away. I could mourn later, when I wasn't facing death, but now I had to protect myself.

To my right, as I reached the Cornucopia, Zeus was thick in with District 3, slashing with the sword he'd handily picked up. Others had picked up miniscule items and had scurried away quickly. There was me, Zeus, District 3, 11 and Amarine.

My feet made a metallic sound as I rushed in. I saw that Amarine and District 11 had already climbed up and were quickly stuffing items into large backpacks. At that moment, I would've been damned if I let them get away with all of the supplies.

I snatched the climbing rope, and draped up quickly, not stopping to break in case they saw me. I reached the top and Amarine squealed slightly as she turned but her face lit into a sly smile.

"You heard, I presume," she grinned, "We're allies. Zeus and I agreed last night that it would be better if the two of us stuck together. You two are extremely lucky to be tagging along." She gave District 11 a condescending look and tried to give it to me.

"Really? He didn't mention it. Perhaps he knew I wouldn't approve." I said.

Her head turns slightly in amusement.

"This isn't about you, _twelve. _This is about winning," she began striding towards me, "And if you want to see daylight, I suggest you at least try to follow miniscule orders. Or, if that is too much for your inferior brain to handle, at least let me and Zeus attempt to win without you screwing it up."

"Yes, because I am the one you should be worrying about. It's good that you noticed that."

She grinned and stood inches away from me.

"It really _is _pathetic how much you like him, you know. And if it is obvious to the public how much you do, I doubt you'll become the next big thing. The last couple didn't really work, did it?"

I found her statement funny.

"I'm guessing he told you that you have lovely legs, and he calls you little pet names like princess, and your ladyship? I got the same treatment, don't go thinking you're special. He's messing with your head. And you're falling for it."

She was about to snap something back when a familiar head popped up behind her.

"Not arguing over me, are you? I certainly hope not. Plenty of testosterone to go around, right 11?"

District 11 blushed and turned away. Zeus shrugged and walked beside me.

"So, we weren't going to agree on becoming allies? You just decided to go for it yourself? You are the biggest, most arrogant..."

He rolled his eyes.

"We need them. Trust me, we'll break away as soon as we can but she got most of the food."

I glared.

"I'm sleeping with one eye open. And if I were you..."

"Wear trousers to sleep? I know both of you want..."

"No. Just no."

I turned around to possibly start packing a sack of my own but then I heard Zeus shout out. I saw the figure move like a blur.

And I felt something smack against my head.


	15. Chapter 15: The Secret

**This is Zeus' point of view!**

I lay her down on the ground beside our new home. Her head has a distinct bump on the left side and a bruise was rapidly appearing. I see Amarine beside me, grinning whilst storing a large knife in her belt. She kneels beside me and purses her lip.

"Can you believe our luck?," she says , "We think it'll be hard to kill her but her she is! A sitting duck!" She sounds delighted and when I turn, her red lips turn upward and she places her hand on my shoulder.

"We can't kill her yet." I say, and I turn to look at her partner. She turns too.

"Oh, like he'll be a problem, Zeus. If he squeals, we can easily take him. And I know we can't kill her yet, but it doesn't mean I can't look forward to it. Her little innocent act, as if it fools anyone. The sooner she goes, the better."

There's a double meaning to her words and I realise this as her hand goes to my cheek, then to my lips.

"You two were getting far too close for my liking." She's practically purring and as she leans forward to kiss me, I don't pull away. She's what I want, what I always wanted when the two of us lived in District 2. She was the image of perfection; her golden curls, her beautiful face and her body. I used to fantasise about kissing her back home. And now I was. So why did I feel like turning away?

She twists in front of me and continues and I notice that her partner is glaring at us. I use this as an excuse to pull away and I act like I'm disgusted with him.

"Some kind of pervert?" I demand and Amarine giggles, pushing her hand through my hair.

I stand up, pull up my spear and approach him. To his credit, he stands firm. I grab a hold of his hair and I push him to the ground. My spear rests beside his neck.

"If you even mention this to her," I point to Leda, her resting figure curling into a small ball, "I will make sure that you meet your death, screaming for your mother, understand?"

He didn't speak.

"I asked if you understood!" I lean down closer, with a hell of a lot of pressure on the spear. I can't let Leda find out. It's not only that I don't want her to find out, but if she does, before the plan goes into action, who knows what will happen? We'll all die.

He spits at me and misses. I grip his ear and drag him forward again.

"I swear if you breathe a word to her..."

"Why? You worried she'll find out about you and your bitch here?"

I throw him down forcefully.

"Fine," he says, "But I won't be part of your plan. She was...was nice to me. Nice to you. And you're going to throw it back in her face."

I'm about to say something to my defence but, much as I hate it, he's right. She was nice to me, in an odd, distant sort of way.

Amarine snorts.

"Yeah, because Zeus gets won over by niceties. Trust me, 11, you do not want us on your bad side. So be a good little boy and keep your mouth shut. Or we may have to make some alterations to your tongue..."

She smirks and grabs my hand. I hold hers in mine as she kisses my cheek.

"Just think: four are already dead. Only six more to go until you and I get our chance to rule. Together."

I nod and smile, after figuring out about three years ago that that was the best way to humour her.

"We'll have kids. I know you've always wanted a little soldier to call your own." She smiles.

Words are lost in my mouth so, I release her hand and lay my spear beside my other weapons. That's when I hear the moaning. I glance at Leda, who's long legs are uncurling to make her figure straight. I kneel beside her and take the role of her partner again. It's been refreshing, not having to lie but now I will and more elaborately. A breath leaves her mouth and as though they've been waiting, her eyes shoot open.

She glances around rapidly and she suddenly notices me, and her eyes go down to my hand, that rests awkwardly on her leg. I withdraw it and smirk.

"Smooth one, Stonem. Took quite a hit. I'm sure you must've been a boxer in another life."

She glares.

"Wow, I see nothing has effected your ability to make delightful faces." I haul her up and yes, I do feel guilty. She looks dismayed by Amarine's presence but says nothing about it. 11 looks shifty but she doesn't notice that either. That's when I see Amarine's eyes glance down to my hand. My hand that is currently intertwined with Leda's. I drop it suddenly and stride forward.

"Well," Amarine kicks things off, "Welcome back like to the world of the living. I'm sure your stay will be very pleasant indeed. Meanwhile, while you were like snoozing, both of us had to haul you down here. Nearly killed my arm. So if you don't mind, from now on, maybe you could like not get knocked out?"

I'm about to tell her to lay off but Leda fights for herself.

"And maybe, like, you could stop, like, starting every sentence with the word "like", like."

Amarine stands and strides over.

"Wow, you've quite a mouth on you for someone who got knocked out by someone from District 9!"

"And you've got quite a mouth on you for someone who only ever needed to say "Daddy, I want x, y and z!"

"Really 12, copying the start of my sentences really isn't showing off your intelligence, or like lack there of."

"And referring to me as 12, really is not showing off your superiority so maybe if you could..."

"Ladies, ladies!" I cut in, which earns a smirk from Amarine and a scowl from Leda.

"I think I have a plan. Your arguing is clearly focused around gaining my attention so here's the idea: Amarine, you get me in the morning and Leda..."

"I'm awake for sixty seconds and already you're making sexist jokes? Wow Zeus, I'm so aroused right now, you have no idea!"

I, for once, am genuinely stunned.

"Aroused? Wow, Leda, you really know how to make a guy feel appreciated. I'm glad I'm giving you the evening. If anything..."

"Both of you, be quiet!" Amarine's voice cuts through glass and both Leda and I, turn back to see her.

"Right," she continues and I see her cheeks are slightly red, "thank you for cutting your date short for us but in case you haven't noticed, we are facing destruction so perhaps you could like not flirt while this is going underway."

Leda plonks herself down beside a dying tree beside us and she does not look pleased.

We are silent for a few seconds until Amarine begins to speak again, sharper this time. But I am not listening. I'm a little too pre-occupied with the snake that seems incredibly interested in Leda's hair.

**I hope none of you hate me for this!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Snake

**Back at Leda, and I think I will keep it as just her.**

I slouched down and crossed my arms, too tired to hide my annoyance. I saw Amarine glance to the side, catching my eye and narrowing her own, before she turned back to Zeus.

I felt a smooth movement at the back of my neck. 'Oh joy', I thought, 'as well as the blistering sun, they've decided to have us blown off the ground by some wind.'

I turned to Zeus and I noticed the shocked look in his eye. I inhaled.

"What?" I said, utter irritation enveloping the words. I realised that after even one day in this arena, I was already sick of the two of them.

His mouth opened slightly and he whispered, quiet enough for me to hear the words.

"Don't move."

Immediately, my body went rigid.

"What's wrong?" I mouthed as he approached, unsheathing the sword he'd tied to his side. Both my hands gripped the ground as I readied myself to spring up from the floor. And that's when I heard it. The soft hiss, as though one of the fancy bottles in the Capitol were being opened behind me. I turned suddenly, hearing Zeus' swearing behind me and for a second, I froze.

Facing me, twisting its head as though analysing my ability, camouflaged against the dark tree trunk, had to be the weirdest thing I'd ever seen. Its long, scaled body was coiled gracefully around the tree and its pink tongue darted in and out of its mouth. I remembered suddenly, a thought pulling from my memory, what this fabulous creature was.

A snake.

And, of course, knowing my luck, I realised where I had seen it.

I sprang backwards frantically, a memory of one girl being swallowed whole by one of those things crawling into my mind. It looked alarmed and darted forward, opening its mouth. I felt safe enough, knowing that I was out of the way of his gigantic jaws but then I saw the other surprise.

Not only were there pointed teeth, ready to strike but behind that I could see the protruding green ooze in his mouth.

I jumped to the left as it spat, the slime reaching a full metre in front of it. A small ounce of it landed on Zeus' leg and the next few moments were filled with his numerous swears. He swung out blindly and the snakes head tumbled to the ground.

"Fucking bitch!" He screamed as he hopped, one-legged towards a rock and sat himself down. I rushed down to him, followed by Amarine.

"Cut it, cut it off!"

It took me a few minutes to realise that he was talking about his trousers. With haste, I gripped a knife and ripped a segment of his elastic trousers, near his thigh. I tore it off and took a long look at it. He took in my reaction.

"I'm no doctor," I said quickly, avoiding his eye, "but, I don't think it's gone in too deep. It'll just hurt. A lot."

"Fucking marvellous, you are." He breathed. He looked over at Amarine.

"You're a witness. I practically took a snakebite for her! You owe me." He said, glancing back at me and gripped the side of the rock to relieve his pain.

"Does it hurt terribly?" Amarine pouted, giving me a look of pure loathing.

He didn't answer; his answer was clear enough in the strain that he put on his hands whilst gripping on to anything. After a few minutes, he realised that the rock would not suffice as a pain number.

"Amarine," he said quickly, "Go out and scout out anyone. Someone will have heard us. Kill on sight."

She didn't need to be told twice. She gripped a spear and dragged District 11 with her, who still looked shaken up by the encounter.

He turned back to me.

"Here," I said, offering my hand.

He looked at it sceptically.

"I doubt any sexual action you plan on treating me to will have much of an effect. But if you feel like trying..."

"Just take the hand and shut up!"

"There's that undying gratitude." He muttered but he took my hand and squeezed out the pain in little spurts. It hurt but I took it.

After what seemed like a perpetual silence, he spoke again.

"Look, just don't sit down anywhere you haven't checked. You could've died."

"And that would be terrible for you, why?"

His cocky grin returned and before his mouth opened, I guessed that another sexual reference was due.

"Because I quite like the way you two fight over me."

"Oh, please..." I started but his voice grew stronger.

"But, seeing as she's not here, and I am completely vulnerable, you could let me die happily."

"Yeah, like you'd be as convenient as to die. And what could I possibly do to make you die happily?"

Of course, I knew he was joking but I wanted to keep him talking.

His grin widened.

"You're a virgin, aren't you?"

I blushed profusely and turned my head to the ground. He did not relinquish my hand.

"Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of girls have not popped their cherries at eighteen and..."

"Just shut up."

"Well, if you need any help, I shall be at your service. But to be perfectly honest, I had always categorised you as the..."

"Zeus..."

"Fine, fine. But the offer's there."

I scoffed.

"Yeah, on live television. So inviting. And for your information, I am not a virgin!"

He winked.

"Falling on me naked in the bathroom didn't count. Nor did kissing you but..."

"That's not what I mean."

He leaned forward to stare me straight in the eye.

"Who was he, then? Best friend who just happened to be there when you...," His voice dropped and his hand, that was ensnared with mine, inched up my leg slightly, "got aroused?"

I felt a lump of anger at the back of my throat but before I could push him away, his hand surged forward and clasped my chin.

"Are you..."

"Trust me, Leda, I know a virgin when I see one."

This made me push him away.

"And what the hell does it matter to you?" I demand.

His smile faltered slightly.

"Well, it's always nice to know, if you're thinking of shagging someone if they have any experience."

I curled my hands into fists.

"You are one bloody pig! If you think I am going to let you anywhere _near _me..."

"Ah, but you did once..."

"That was once! I was confused and fucking scared! You took advantage of that!"

He paused and for a second, I thought he might've been serious.

"I wouldn't take advantage of you. In this arena or outside."

I tore away and stand up.

"We need to concentrate on the Games now. If you need some sexual release, go ask the blonde-headed wonder. She seems too eager to please you."

I looked away and my head twists as I stare at the remains of the broken creature.

"Is it gone?"

His face screwed up in confusion.

"The pain," I said, "Is it gone."

"It's been gone for a while."

"Fine, then..."

I was broken off by the double canon.


	17. Chapter 17: The Creatures

**Sorry about the wait, I was away for two weeks but other than that I've just been ridiculously lazy when it comes to writing.**

**I'll try to make it a long enough chapter.**

One shot was fired directly after the other. One would need to have acute hearing to hear them both and I faintly worried that my mind was playing tricks on me. I turned back to him. He held up two fingers.

Two shots.

Two tributes.

Dead.

Much as I disliked Amarine, I would rather have seen her emerge from the bushes at that moment, triumphantly holding up the head of one of her victims. But no one came. The two of us remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. I slowly walked backwards, reaching cautiously for my knife, though how it would help, I didn't know.

I turned slowly to glance at him, finding him right behind me, looking suspiciously ahead.

Then it came. The sound of snapping twigs to my immediate right. I gripped my knife tightly, narrowing my eyes.

I inhaled, bracing myself. But nothing but the deafening sound of silence sounded in my ears. I was just about to whisper, to ask him what the hell it was until the sound came again, louder this time, but it was to my left.

I heard his breath quicken behind me.

And in a single second, all hell seemed to break lose.

Two came from the side, looming in front of us, one from the back and two more from the sides. I'd seen these creatures before, but they'd been blown up to an extreme size. They towered over me, their legs moving in unison. All forty legs.

Five humungous spiders.

Without consulting me, he screamed and charged at two in front of us, unsheathing his sword in one fluid motion. As he ran, my feet brought me backwards, face to face with the one behind me. Instinctively, I raised my knife and ran, to keep the element of surprise. Of course, it didn't help that as soon as launched myself forward, another ran to ward me off.

I didn't have time to brace myself or to think properly. As soon as they bared their teeth, I knew I was gone.

My legs made the decision for my head. I turned and ran, weaving through trees and shrubs, picking up my legs at the back to gain momentum. I could hear both creatures behind me, rushing to catch up. It was the first of few advantages of being smaller than most things in this arena; you don't get caught easily between two trees like the spiders did. But it didn't matter how many times they were caught, I'd hear them smacking through the tree bark and they'd soon be on my tail.

I saw the bright light of the sun peeking subtly through the breaks in-between branches and I knew that I'd soon be out of the cover of the trees. I veered to the left and came face to face with a large ash tree. There was no time for me to process pros and cons of my decision. I scrambled up, using hands and feet to grip me on my way. This was harder than the climbing wall in the training arena but I'd spent a fair while of my own childhood climbing the old pine trees that stood arbitrarily around my own village. This wasn't a lot different apart from the fact that the branches of the ash tree were spread further apart.

I stopped dead as soon as I heard the rush of the creatures to my right. I readied my dagger for attack.

As it turned out, only one of them had followed me the entire way. It wasn't fooled by my sudden change in course. As soon as it reached the spot where I had turned, its eyes blinked fully open and it looked right and left for any sign of my alteration. I held my breath and braced myself.

It snapped its head to the left and began walking curiously up the path I'd taken. It took every ounce of strength in my body to stop me from climbing up further, away from that thing. In the end, as it came closer, I made the split second decision.

As soon as I had a clear shot, I mimicked my action at scoring. I felt the wind push my face back as I leapt from the tree, aiming for the creature underneath me. It was a painful landing but I shoved the dagger into the creatures back as soon as it reacted to my landing. Before I lost my nerve, I pulled the knife out and thrust it in again on a different spot. This time I felt the warm blood of the creature swirl around my fingers as I pulled the knife from its back. It unleashed some kind of a scream and at that moment, pity and guilt swelled within me. But as much as I wanted to hop off the creature and run, I couldn't. Weakness was something that I couldn't afford to show.

A small tear fell from my right eye as I plunged the knife in to its body for a third time, and it let out another yelp of pain. Some of its legs began to fall from under it and it began to stumble wildly and it took a fair amount of clinging for me not to fall. The creature veered next to the tree and I took my exit by jumping off of it. I pushed myself up against the tree as it swung madly from each side, squealing like a noisy piglet. I readied myself to plunge my knife back in to its back and to finally rid the creature of its pain. I looked for a clear shot but as I did, I heard another cannon fire above me and it caught me so completely off guard that I stumbled backwards further.

It was almost as though both of us fell at the exact same moment but I was lucky enough to have a tree to brace myself with. The spider could hang on no longer and it fell to the ground and for a few moments, its legs continued twitching. I knelt beside it and couldn't help feeling guilty. This poor creature didn't have any idea what it was doing in this place. It wasn't given a choice. It was just like us.

With those thoughts circling my head, I brought my hand shakily forward to rest it on the creature's stomach and I rubbed it soothingly. With one quick swoop, I brought my knife down and plunged it into the creature's heart. I hoped that it's pain would end there forever.

"Bravo." I heard Zeus speak from behind me and my face immediately went red with some unknown shame. I pulled my knife from the creatures body and turned, attempting to keep my face expressionless.

He was leaning against a tree behind me, watching the creature I'd just murdered with vague curiousity. I rose silently to my feet without words.

"I didn't know you had it in you." He speaks clearly but he doesn't look at me.

"Why? How many did you kill?" I ask as I reach him.

He pauses before he speaks.

"Two."

We don't speak of killing the creatures for the rest of the night.

**I know it has been YEARS! And I apologise sincerely! There will be more regular updates!**


	18. Chapter 18: The Tasks

**I'm sorry! It's been far too long! I've just had to sort out where this story is going and I know now so there will be more regular updates if you haven't gotten sick of me yet!**

**Disclaimer: Still not Suzanne Collins.**

Despite the warmth I was receiving from the blanket in my backpack, there was no chance of me catching any amount of sleep that night. In front of me, with his back turned, I could see the outline of Zeus' body, hunched over and attempting to keep watch.

To pass time, I went over the list of dead in my head once more, just to finalise it.

'District 6, District 7, District 3, District 9, District 10' usual right about then my head would swirl with the possibilities of Amarine and District 11 being alive still. But doubt would always overcome any rational reason I had for their absence. Usually, I'd add District 2 and District 11 to that too-long list.

I swallowed and turned over, confident enough that I was not in any immediate danger presently. There was one fact that kept bothering me that night, however.

"You and your partner must form an alliance until the sixth tribute is eliminated." I could hear Darium Fowler's low voice repeating those words. His low drawl, as though taking satisfaction from this forced partnership. I don't think anyone could've assumed that only a single day alliance would be necessary. True enough, I could've walked out right then, out of this alliance and out by myself. I'd be able to hide and allow the others to kill one another whilst remaining seemingly invisible.

I could've but who isn't wise when looking back?

I will admit that that night I did debate in my head whether or not I wished to leave. Leaving would possibly ensure more peace of mind and amidst the chaos of the arena, perhaps peace of mind was exactly what I needed to win. But I didn't move.

I wasn't sure what time it was but a while after my thoughts of leaving had vanished, I heard him speak. Lowly, in an audible whisper.

"Are you awake?"

I exhaled through my nose and cleared my throat.

"Yeah. I'll be up in a minute."

I'd forgotten somewhere along the line that we would need to switch watches half-way through the night. I opened my eyes slowly, exhaling again. Sitting up, I addressed him or his back, rather.

"How long was I sleeping for?"

He turned to face me, a smile playing on his lips. Behind him, the light of dawn was slowly creeping up to light up our secluded area, among the bushes beside the waterfall.

"Oh not too long. About seven hours."

"You should've woken me!"

He shrugged, turning his back to me again.

"You needed the sleep, obviously."

I felt my face flush red and as I moved to sit beside him, he indicated that he wasn't going to be sleeping any time soon. I blinked, confused.

"There'll be an announcement today. I don't want to miss it." He said, in response to my silent question. My face contorted with annoyance.

"I am capable of waking you up."

He smirked again and turned to face me.

"And what then will stop you from stabbing me in the back, Princess?"

"I told you to stop calling me that. And I wouldn't repay your not-killing-me in return with killing you while you sleep. That's just cowardly."

"Well, who isn't a coward in here?" He clears his throat, "Any chance you get to eliminate someone, if you're smart, you'll take it."

I could've retorted, perhaps to ask him why he then hadn't taken his chance at killing me but with lack of sleep, I sincerely doubted that either of us wanted to get into a heated discussion about something so vague. I kept my mouth shut, at risk of biting his head off at another sarcastic remark.

A sudden thought shook me. I'd missed the recap! How was I to know whether my calculations had been correct of not? I opened my mouth to ask him the question but I closed it just as quickly. For some reason, I did not feel comfortable letting my thoughts out in the open.

He took no satisfaction, oddly, at the fact that about twenty minutes of comfortable silence, that the entire arena was addressed by the voice of Darium Fowler. It took me a few seconds to realise that I had been holding my breath.

"Contestants!" He seemed to want to catch our attention, though how he felt that perhaps some of us wouldn't hear him, I didn't know. I inhaled and exhaled sharply, reminding myself that this was important and that I would be rewarded by listening. It was almost like being lectured when I was in school at age six, in my own head. I could practically hear my middle-aged teacher trying to make mining sound interesting to us.

"Both sides have to come to the agreement that because this is a very special Hunger Games," the smirk in his voice was audible, "that special tasks are necessary should a contestant wish to win! So, as an added rule, Rule no. 563, each team or individual shall be given a specific task which will affect others in the arena. We are aware that some of the teams formed have been broken but for those of you who still retain your alliance, congratulations. You have successfully managed to work together. For this, each team who completes their task shall be rewarded twice. Each team or individual will receive their task presently. Take haste in completing these tasks as you shall be given a maximum of a day and a night to do so. Completion will provide a step closer to becoming the victor. Failure means immediate elimination. Each team who manages to complete their task shall attend a feast after the triple canon has been fired. More instructions shall be given upon completion. Happy Hunger Games."

Zeus stood abruptly.

"We haven't much time. Are you staying or not?"

I met his eyes, imploring me to answer quickly. It was a no-brainer really. Leaving meant that there was less of a chance I'd survive. I'd be rewarded for staying.

"I'm staying."

He swallowed.

"District 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 11. That means that there are five left. 5 and eight are still a team, same as us. Then there's 4 by herself," He nodded encouragingly, "We can beat them easy."

I didn't want to add that they wouldn't let us both win. If we were a team, I had to ensure that I got away before it came down to three. Out of certainty, I made a pact to myself. Not that it would do me much good.

Within seconds, a small parachute fluttered to a gentle stop behind me. Rolled up like an ancient scroll, the numbers "1 12" were written in gold, surrounded the Capitol seal. I broke the seal with my hands and unravelled the scroll.

Written in gold was our very own task.

**Why must this story aggravate me so?**

**NOM NOM NOM REVIEWS.**


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